MPs have hailed the end of bulk deliveries of a Chinese ‘propaganda’ paper in the House of Commons.
China Daily, owned by the governing party in Beijing, had been automatically received in the offices of politicians since 2016.
Copies were sent to Parliament earmarked for most MPs, which were then duly distributed by staff.
However, Speaker Lindsay Hoyle ordered a review in March after questions from shadow Home Office minister Alicia Kearns.
An update received by Ms Kearns confirmed that distribution of the bulk mailings has now stopped.
‘The Administration Committee undertook a review of unsolicited material that is delivered to the House of Commons for distribution to all Members,’ the written answer from the Leader of the House said.
‘The conclusion of that review limited the distribution of bulk mailings to letters and reports only with a size and weight restriction.
‘Members must now opt in to continue to receive specific mailings, such as the China Daily.
‘At the present time, no Members subscribe to the China Daily.’
Ms Kearns told : ‘Good riddance to authoritarian propaganda not fit to be fish and chip paper.’
‘Finally the delivery of Chinese Communist Party propaganda to MPs’ offices has stopped entirely.
‘It was completely inappropriate that taxpayers were inadvertently funding yet another attempt from the Chinese Communist Party to exert influence over British politics.
‘The China Daily was a blatant attempt from the CPC to create a false narrative on the many human rights atrocities they have committed and the immense security threat they present. There is no place for it in Parliament.’
China Daily was set up in 1981 as the only national English-language newspaper in China. It is distributed in print, online, and within other newspapers globally.
Its website claims it has a print and online circulation of 350million.