British Prime Minister Andy Burnham implored President Donald Trump to bring up the case of imprisoned Hong Kong dissident Jimmy Lai at a Thursday summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Burnham made the request during a meeting Tuesday with Trump, who said he agreed Lai should be set free, according to one of the people. The British delegation suggested Lai could live in the United Kingdom, that person said.

A Hong Kong court this year sentenced Lai, a former media magnate, to 20 years in prison on sedition charges. Trump raised Lai’s case in May when he met with Xi in Beijing. But the Chinese leader hasn’t signaled whether he’s willing to free him.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment. Burnham’s office, in a statement, confirmed the leaders discussed Lai, a Chinese-born British citizen. The prime minister, it said, reiterated “the need for his immediate release.”

A UK government official, who like others, was granted anonymity to discuss internal conversations, said Burnham previously raised Lai’s case in a call with Xi on Sept. 8.

Lai has received international attention for his imprisonment. Human rights advocates say the Chinese government is punishing Lai for his role in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement amid Beijing’s tightening grip on the special administrative region. Chinese officials argue he is a criminal who undermined national security.

Trump has said Xi is reluctant to free Lai because he “caused a lot of bedlam” in Hong Kong.

“It’s incredibly significant that Burnham has taken up the case of this wrongfully imprisoned British citizen in his first meeting with President Trump,” said Mark Clifford, president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy organization.

The U.K. government declared Lai’s release a priority in 2024. But that did not dissuade Chinese authorities, even with concerns about his deteriorating health in prison. Lai’s family has called the duration of his sentence and his six years in solitary confinement a “death sentence.”

Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, raised Lai’s case and called for his release during a Beijing visit in January with Xi.

Lai’s case has caught the attention of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Rep. (R-N.J.) and Sen. (R-Alaska) introduced a bill last week that would impose sanctions and other “policy consequences” in response to the death of political prisoners in the terrority, such as Jimmy Lai.

His case has also long been a focus of lawmakers in the U.K. parliament. Alicia Kearns, a member in the opposition Conservative Party, in 2024 coordinated a joint statement by 105 politicians from 24 countries denouncing a trial “tainted with unfairness.”