David Cameron is humiliating Britain by 'sucking up' to the Chinese regime, says PM's former guru Steve Hilton

The former Downing Street director of strategy says the UK should be looking at sanctions instead of trade deals

Prime Minister David Cameron has been urged to raise the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping (Getty)

Britain is being humiliated by the Government’s policy of “sucking up” to the Chinese regime, David Cameron’s former director of strategy has said.

Steve Hilton, who ran the Prime Minister’s Downing Street operation in the early days of his premiership, said the UK should be looking at sanctions against the country because of its poor human rights record.

“I think this is one of the worst national humiliations we’ve seen since we went cap-in-hand to the IMF in the 1970s,” he told the BBC's Newsnight programme.

“I would think we should consider sanctions on China, not rolling out the red carpet.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a four-day visit to the UK where he is expected to sign £20bn worth of business deals.

China is set to buy stakes in British nuclear power plants, high speed railway systems, and other projects.

Mr Hilton, who now works in California, said Britain was as bad as Vladimir Putin’s Russia and that foreign direct investment could come from other sources, such as India.

Steve Hilton previously ran David Cameron's Downing Street operation (Getty Images)

“Forget about the terrible things that the Chinese regime is doing at home, the vicious political oppression and violent physical abuse of women – just look at what they’re doing internationally,” he told the programme.

“Militarily threatening their neighbours, empire-building from Africa and on a daily basis stealing property from business and governments around the world through their relentless cyberattacks.

“The truth is that China is a rogue state – just as bad as Russia or Iran, and I just don’t understand why we’re sucking up to them rather than standing up to them as we should be.”

The Government has not publicly raised human rights concerns with the Chinese government, though ministers have insisted that nothing is “off the table” in private.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn secured a meeting with Mr Xi to discuss human rights concerns, however.

Mr Hilton has become apparently more outspoken in public of late, earlier this month criticising a speech by Home Secretary Theresa May for its anti-immigration rhetoric.

During Mr Xi’s four-day visit the premier has dined with the Queen in a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

He said the UK and China were becoming a “community of shared interests” and had a “comprehensive strategic partnership”.

The visit comes amid the collapse of parts of Britain’s steelmaking industry, accusations that Chinese “dumping” at below cost price are to blame.