Heseltine: "It is quite wrong to think that Britain has a lingering presence"

Heseltine urges Britain to give up Hong Kong role

And, despite a government boycott, the former Deputy Prime Minister attended the swearing-in ceremony for Hong Kong's Provisional Legislature, which was hand-picked by Beijing. He was joined by the former Foreign Secretary, Sir Geoffrey Howe, and the former Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath. Sir Edward has often been attacked for what critics regard as his pro-Chinese bent.

At a lavish reception hosted by the Chinese Foreign Minister, Qian Qichen, Mr Heseltine contradicted Robin Cook's view that Britain has a monitoring role in Hong Kong.

"We have concluded an arrangement with China where sovereignty passes to China, and it's very important that people understand that," Mr Heseltine said.

He continued: "It is quite wrong to think that Britain has a lingering presence. We have transferred sovereignty to China and we want that to work."

He concluded: "It's very exciting to see that it's going on, that people are taking the change with enthusiasm. That is exactly what we want."