British Prime Minister Andy Burnham reportedly asked U.S. President Donald Trump to raise the issue of the detention of Hong Kong media tycoon and democracy activist Jimmy Lai during their talks in New York. The meeting, which lasted over 30 minutes, took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly’s annual meeting. Burnham is said to have urged Trump to bring up Lai’s case when Trump later meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Chinese leader’s three-day state visit to the U.S. This comes amid growing international concern over the treatment of political dissidents in Hong Kong. Jimmy Lai, a 78-year-old British citizen and founder of the now-defunct Apply Daily newspaper, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2026 after being found guilty of violating China's national security law. His family has called for diplomatic efforts to secure his release, fearing he may spend the rest of his life in prison and expressing concerns about his health. They have described his time in solitary confinement over the past six years as a "death sentence." Lai has been held in a high-security prison in Hong Kong since his arrest in 2020. Trump reportedly raised the issue of Lai’s release directly with Xi in May during a state visit to Beijing. However, he later told the media that freeing Lai was a "tough one for him to do," while Xi indicated he would "strongly" consider the release of a pastor from an underground church. Trump said he brought up the matter, adding: "He told me, Jimmy Lai is a tough one for him to do." Lai's case has drawn international attention, with human rights advocates rejecting the charges and trial as a "sham" and politically motivated to tighten Beijing’s control over Hong Kong. On Tuesday, Sebastian Lai, the son of Jimmy Lai, urged Burnham and Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to use the UNGA to build international support for his father's release. He emphasized the importance of the opportunity, noting that his father has spent more than 2,000 days in prison. He also highlighted the personal significance of his father's release, as his sister Claire Lai is undergoing cancer treatment. Lai called for the release as an "act of humanity and compassion," stating that freeing an elderly British citizen who has endured years in prison for protecting people’s freedoms would be a powerful gesture of goodwill.