LONDON: Britain does not normally favour boycotts of sporting events, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday in response to a question whether London would stay away from the Winter Olympics in China over the treatment of the Uighurs in Xinjiang.

Asked by a lawmaker whether he agreed that Britain should boycott the Winter Olympics if China did not end the treatment of the Uighurs, Johnson said it was right to highlight the "appalling campaign" against them.

"He raises the point about a sporting boycott. We're not normally in favour of supporting boycotts in this country ... and that's been the long-standing position of this government," Johnson told parliament.