Hong Kong’s incoming deputy justice secretary has said he will quit the city’s biggest pro-Beijing political party amid concerns that his affiliation could undermine public perception of his impartiality in handling prosecution matters.

Lawyer-turned-politician Horace Cheung Kwok-kwan, who earlier resigned as vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) but had intended to keep his membership, revealed that he had changed his mind.

In a statement posted on his social media account on Wednesday, Cheung, who also resigned from his lawmaker’s position for his new role, said he had met DAB chairwoman Starry Lee Wai-king on Tuesday.