英国外交部发言人对曹顺利的死去表示哀悼，称曹是一位勇敢的人权活动家。声明指出联合国人权理事会的所有成员都必须遵守和推进最高的人权标准。英国强烈要求中国确保被拘押的人士能够获得适当的医疗服务，并释放所有因行使宪法权利而遭到羁押的人士。
英文全文如下：
Following the death of human rights activist Cao Shunli, the FCO has called on authorities to allow all detainees proper medical care. Ms Shunli had been detained since September 2013 whilst travelling from China to attend human rights advocacy training in Geneva.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said:
We are saddened to hear that Chinese human rights activist Cao Shunli has died in detention, after she was reportedly denied medical treatment for serious illness. Ms Cao was a courageous activist who pressed for independent civil society involvement in China’s Universal Periodic Review process, and was detained in September 2013.
Members of the Human Rights Council are bound to uphold and promote the highest standards of human rights. We strongly urge the Chinese authorities to ensure all detainees have access to adequate medical care, and to release all those detained for exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly