(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Keir Starmer had barely registered the UK’s concerns with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the plight of a jailed newspaper publisher in Hong Kong when the British press found themselves abruptly bundled out of the room.

Sir Keir Starmer has been criticised for meeting China’s president Xi Jinping just hours before 45 Hong Kong pro-democracy activists were sentenced for attempting to field opposition candidates in an election.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday to establish "consistent, durable" relations between their two nations, pressing on with efforts to thaw ties between London and Beijing at a G20 summit.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the importance of a "strong UK-China relationship" while raising concerns over several contentious issues as he met China's President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Brazil on Monday.