Thread by @theousherwood

New: City Hall quango London & Partners has held talks with company linked to oppression of Uygurs.

iFlytek provides voice recognition technology to police in China’s Xinxiang province. It’s on a list of companies banned by US.

MIT and Rutgers uni severed ties.

But not L&P.

Detailed with a quarterly report published last April, L&P revealed it had a "new significant project" with iFlytek.

But in 2017, Human Rights Watch found the company had been working with Chinese police to develop technology intended to identify targeted voices in phone calls.

.@TomTugendhat - chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee - told @LBC he thinks @SadiqKhan should "reject" the company.

Full quote:

London and Partners received more than £13m of public money last year.

The Conservative candidate for mayor, @ShaunBaileyUK, has told @LBC he would close L&P's three offices in China.

In response, the mayor's office and L&P say they'll review iFlytek's human rights record before any further conversations.

Worth pointing out, it took only a quick internet search after finding L&P had been talking to iFlytek to determine the company's record.

Labour sources also point out that in May last year, the DIT minister Lord Grimstone held a round table meeting (presumably over Zoom) with a number of Chinese companies.

The meeting included China Mobile, one of iFlytek's largest shareholders.

They also point to Lord Grimstone meeting with Tencent and Alibaba last April, according to DIT records..

Labour source: "Presumably Mr Bailey will immediately condemn the Tory minister in question, Gerry Grimstone - or be exposed as the hypocrite he is."