MI5 officers told the House of Commons speaker at a private meeting that they can tackle the risks of a proposed Chinese super-embassy in London, opening the door to its approval. The Guardian understands that in a meeting held with Lindsay Hoyle in the summer, senior figures from the Security Service indicated they were “very relaxed” about the prospect of a 20,000 sq metre embassy being constructed at Royal Mint Court near Tower Bridge. It is considered that the espionage risks stemming from the large outpost can be managed. China…
Tag: Politics
UK holds talks with LinkedIn on clamping down on Chinese espionage
The government is holding talks with LinkedIn on how it can clamp down on prolific Chinese espionage activity after a rare interference alert was issued by MI5. The National Protective Security Authority, which is part of the UK’s security services, is speaking to social media platforms about making them less attractive for foreign agents, a government official told the Guardian. MPs and peers were told on Tuesday that they faced “a covert and calculated” attempt at espionage via two LinkedIn profiles linked to the Chinese intelligence service. MI5 said the…
China’s power play: MI5 warns of relentless espionage attempts in Britain
An unexpected connection on LinkedIn. An offer of work from a headhunter, most likely a young woman, based in China. The chance to earn perhaps £20,000 part-time writing a handful of geopolitical reports for a Chinese company peppered with “non-public” or “insider” insights. Payment in cryptocurrency or cash preferred. It may seem obvious, on this telling, that something about this approach would be amiss. Nevertheless, China’s powerful Ministry of State Security (MSS) still considers it worthwhile to deploy recruitment consultants to try it – leading MI5 to warn repeatedly about…
Starmer refuses to rule out freezing tax thresholds as Badenoch criticises budget plans – UK politics live
From 51m ago Starmer refuses to rule out freezing tax thresholds in budget Badenoch asks Starmer to confirm he won’t break another promise by freezing thresholds. Starmer does not answer that, saying the budget is next week. But Labour won’t return to austerity, he says. Share <gu-island name="KeyEventsCarousel" priority="feature" deferuntil="visible" props="{"keyEvents":[{"id":"691db7368f082fb6e8672411","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" Lee Anderson (Reform UK) accuses Labour of “dog whistle politics”. That generates laughter from MPs. Reform is cracking on with the day job, he says. He says Reform councils are working, he says. He asks Starmer to confirm the…
Watch out for online contact with Chinese spies, UK defence minister warns public
Ordinary UK citizens need to watch out for online contact with Chinese spies, the defence minister has said, after MI5 issued an espionage alert to parliament. Luke Pollard said a warning given to parliamentarians on Tuesday that China was attempting to recruit individuals with access to sensitive information should also be heeded by the public at large. Security services took the unusual step of advising MPs, Lords and their staff to be alert to contact from spies, revealing two LinkedIn accounts that had been used to try to recruit those…
MPs warned to avoid China-linked agents trying to contact them on LinkedIn – UK politics live
From 18m ago MPs warned to avoid China-linked agents trying to contact them on LinkedIn, ahead of statement by security minister Dan Jarvis, the security minister, will soon make a statement to MPs about spying by China. (See 11.41am.) Ahead of that, MPs and peers have just been sent an email from the parliamentary authorities highlighting an espionage alert sent by MI5. It says: This alert highlights how the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) is actively reaching out to individuals in our community. Their aim is to collect information…
MI5 issues alert to MPs and peers over Chinese espionage
MI5 has issued an espionage alert to MPs and peers warning that two people linked to the Chinese intelligence service are actively seeking to recruit parliamentarians. The two, who operate as headhunters on the LinkedIn professional networking website aiming to obtain “non-public and insider insights”, MI5 said, are also targeting economists, thinktank staff and civil servants for their access to politicians. The spy agency sent its warning about the two to Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker of the Commons, and his Lords equivalent, Lord McFall, on Tuesday morning, both of whom…
MPs preparing to examine Chinese state influence at British universities
The foreign affairs select committee is drawing up plans to examine Chinese government interference in academia as part of its inquiry into the UK’s strategy towards Beijing. MPs are broadening the scope of their investigation into the China audit, an internal government review of UK-China relations that concluded in June, to look into Chinese state influence at British universities. Ministers are under pressure to take a more robust approach after the Guardian disclosed that Sheffield Hallam University had blocked the work of a professor whose work was critical of China’s…
UK transport and cyber-security chiefs investigate Chinese-made buses
The UK is to investigate whether hundreds of Chinese-made buses can be controlled remotely by their manufacturer, amid increasing concerns over Beijing’s involvement in British infrastructure. The Department for Transport and the National Cyber Security Centre are examining whether buses made by Yutong could be vulnerable to interference. A spokesperson for the Department for Transport said: “We are looking into the case and working closely with the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre to understand the technical basis for the actions taken by the Norwegian and Danish authorities. “The department takes…
Defence lawyers would have used Tories’ statements to dismiss China spy case, attorney general says
Richard Hermer says failure by Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly to describe China as a threat would have been seized on in trial Defence lawyers would have used Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly’s statements about China to dismiss a case against two men charged with spying for Beijing, the attorney general has argued. Richard Hermer told parliament “there would have been plenty of reference” by lawyers defending Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry’s to Conservative ministers’ policy positions had the trial gone ahead. Continue reading… The Guardian