1,100 scientists and students barred from UK amid China crackdown

Exclusive: Foreign Office rejected record number of academics in 2022 on national security grounds

• UK quietly shifts China policy as trust between countries erodes

More than 1,000 scientists and postgraduate students were barred from working in the UK last year on national security grounds, amid a major government crackdown on research collaborations with China.

Figures obtained by the Guardian reveal that a record 1,104 scientists and postgraduate students were rejected by Foreign Office vetting in 2022, up from 128 in 2020 and just 13 in 2016.