Rishi Sunak u-turns on proposed ban on Chinese institutes

Rishi Sunak has backtracked on a pledge to shut down 30 Chinese state-sponsored Confucius Institutes across the UK.

The prime minister pledged to close the cultural schools, which are accused of spreading propaganda and spying on students, during his bid to become Conservative leader last year.

On Wednesday, the government announced it would be "disproportionate" to ban the institute.

Senior Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith called the decision "ridiculous".

Confucius Institutes, which teach Chinese language and culture, came under fire after critics and charities accused the centres of being used by the Chinese government to spread propaganda and interfere with free speech on campuses.

Sir Iain, the former Conservative party leader, said the schools were "nothing to do with language".

"They are there to spy on particularly on Chinese students and particularly Hong Kong students," he said.

The retreat, first reported by TalkTV, has been criticised by some Tory backbenchers, with former prime minister Liz Truss urging him to deliver on the language he used during last summer's contest.

In his unsuccessful leadership campaign, Mr Sunak had promised to close all 30 of the institutes in Britain, declaring China "the biggest-long term threat to Britain".

But since becoming prime minister he adopted less hard-line language. In March, the updated UK integrated review on foreign and defence policy described China as representing an "epoch-defining and systemic challenge" rather than a "threat".

Ms Truss called on her successor to return to branding China as a "threat" to UK security during a visit to Taiwan.

Ms Truss made a speech in Taipei City on Wednesday, making her the first former prime minister to visit Taiwan since Margaret Thatcher.

In it she said Mr Sunak's approach to China was "right" during his leadership, and the UK "needs to see those policies enacted urgently".

A Downing Street spokesman said: "We recognise concerns about overseas interference in our higher education sector, including through Confucius Institutes, and regularly assess the risks facing academia.

"We are taking action to remove any government funding from Confucius Institutes in the UK, but currently judge that it would be disproportionate to ban them.

"Like any international body operating in the UK, Confucius Institutes need to operate transparently and within the law, and with a full commitment to our values of openness and freedom of expression."