A British parliamentary assistant was arrested in March on suspicion of spying for China, the Metropolitan Police, responsible for the London region, revealed on Saturday.
A British parliamentary assistant was arrested in March on suspicion of spying for China, the Metropolitan Police, responsible for the London region, revealed on Saturday.
“Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service arrested two men on March 13 on suspicion of offences” related to the Official Secrets Act 1911, one in the Oxford region of southeast England and the other in Edinburgh, capital of Scotland, police confirmed.
Both men were released on bail.
According to the British press, the second man worked in the British Parliament and had contacts with deputies of the Conservative Party, currently in power.
Among them were Security Minister Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kearns, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons, the lower house of parliament.
The suspect worked in international politics, particularly relations with Beijing, and worked in China.
The case is being investigated by agents from the Anti-Terrorism Command of the Metropolitan Police.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance for China, which brings together dozens of parliamentarians from several countries, said it was “shocked by the news of the infiltration of the UK Parliament by someone allegedly acting on behalf of the People’s Republic of China.”
In July, the House of Commons Intelligence and Security Committee warned in a report that Chinese intelligence services were “prolifically and aggressively” interfering with the UK.
China has managed to “successfully penetrate all sectors of the UK economy” and “it is not difficult to detect” Chinese government interference in various sectors, from universities to nuclear energy, the document highlights.
Last year, British intelligence accused Christine Lee of “engaging in political interference activities on behalf of the United Front Department,” an organization responsible for developing links between the Chinese Communist Party and foreign entities.
According to MI5, she played the role of intermediary by making “financial donations to political parties, MPs, aspiring MPs and people running for political office in the UK” on behalf of citizens of China and Hong Kong.
Christine Lee is suspected of having donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to Barry Gardiner, former leader of the Labor Party, as well as to the party itself.
The alleged agent was also photographed with former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015 and, on another occasion, with former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn.
In 2019, Christine Lee was knighted by Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May for her contribution to good relations between the UK and China.
In response, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs pledged to respect the principle of non-interference in other countries’ affairs.
Source: Observadora
