Britain says arrest of media tycoon in Hong Kong shows China using new law 'to silence opposition'

Britain has accused China of using the new Hong Kong national security law as a "pretext to silence opposition" after the arrest of leading media tycoon and protester, Jimmy Lai. Mr Lai's detention for suspected collusion with foreign forces is the highest profile arrest yet under the new law in Hong Kong, widely seen as a crackdown on the semi-autonomous city's freedoms by China. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman said Britain was "deeply concerned" by the arrest, which also saw Mr Lai's newspaper's offices raided. "This is further evidence that the national security law is being used as a pretext to silence opposition," he said. "The Hong Kong authorities must uphold the rights and freedoms of its people." Around 10,000 people had earlier tuned in to watch a police raid on the office of Apple Daily, a Hong Kong tabloid published by Mr Lai’s media company, Next Digital. Ryan Law, the editor-in-chief of Apple Daily, defied police warnings to stop filming as 200 officers streamed into the newspaper's headquarters, ignoring questions over what legal grounds they had for entering and removing plastic boxes as evidence. Officers demanded the few employees there produce identity documents and register with police. Staff were seen standing by newsroom desks decorated with bright pro-democracy protest posters, including one reading: "Who's afraid of the truth!" Among the others arrested were two of Mr Lai's sons, young pro-democracy activist Agnes Chow and Wilson Li, a former activist who describes himself as a freelance journalist working for Britain's ITV News.