Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, facing a two-year jail sentence at home for breaking a conflict of interest law, has been barred from Britain where he was living in exile, a Thai official said on Saturday.

British officials have refused to comment on the decision to revoke visas for Mr Thaksin and his wife, the latest twist in Thailand’s long-running political saga since the billionaire telecoms tycoon was removed in a 2006 coup.