The government has been rocked by allegations of a Chinese spy working in the heart of Westminster. The Guardian’s John Harris speaks to political editor Pippa Crerar and defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh about what this reveals about both our relationship with China, and factions within the Conservative party How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian
Tag: UK news
Sunak branded ‘inaction man’ at PMQs as Starmer attacks record on schools, prisons and China – as it happened
From 19h ago Sunak branded ‘inaction man’ at PMQs as Starmer attacks his record on schools, prisons and China Here is the PA Media story on PMQs. Rishi Sunak has been branded “inaction man” by the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, as the government grapples with crumbling schools, Chinese espionage, and a prisoner on the run. Starmer urged the prime minister to call a general election, as he accused the government of failing to heed warnings which led to a series of crises for ministers over the last week. But Sunak…
‘Farcical’: China’s media gives short shrift to British spying allegations
The fallout from revelations that two people were arrested in the UK for allegedly spying for China has dominated British news since the story broke. In the heavily state-controlled media in China, however, it has caused barely a ripple. It took more than a day for state-controlled press to run the story, reporting a short statement from its embassy in London and then comments from the foreign affairs ministry. The message was short: the allegations were baseless and the UK was “hyping” it up. On Tuesday, the Global Times, a…
Tory party ‘acted swiftly’ to block would-be MPs after MI5 warnings
The Conservative party “acted swiftly” to block two potential parliamentary candidates from standing, after warnings from MI5 that they could be spying for China, a government minister has said. The health minister Maria Caulfield was speaking after it was revealed that the Tories dropped two potential candidates to become MPs after MI5 warned they had links to China’s United Front Work Department, a body charged with influencing global policy and opinion. The Times reported that concerns were raised over the pair separately in 2021 and 2022. They were subsequently blocked…
Exiled Chinese dissidents alarmed by ‘spy’ arrest of Westminster researcher
Finn Lau’s meeting with a Westminster researcher who was later arrested on suspicion of spying for China lasted just 20 minutes. Nearly a year later he is mulling the potential consequences. Lau, an exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy activist with a £100,000 bounty on his head, has a lingering suspicion that some of his ideas for putting more pressure on China appear not to have made it beyond their meeting. Exiled Chinese dissidents such as Lau, as well as Hong Kong activists and others including advocates of Tibetan independence and China’s…
Sustained rift with China would harm UK universities, report warns
UK universities would be hugely damaged by a sustained diplomatic rift between Britain and China, according to a report that predicts difficulty in replacing the Chinese students who now take up more than one in four PhD places. The study, co-authored by the former universities minister Jo Johnson, found that many leading institutions remain highly dependent on Chinese students for tuition fee income as well as to fill postgraduate research courses in subjects such as economics, science and technology. A sudden inflaming of tensions between the UK and China –…
The Guardian view on China and spying: we need less heat and more light | Editorial
The news that a parliamentary researcher was arrested earlier this year on suspicion of spying for China has inevitably brought a flurry of attention to Beijing’s espionage operations. No charges have yet been brought, six months after the arrest under the Official Secrets Act, and the man involved insists that he is innocent. Countries spy on each other – be they allies, foes or somewhere in between. But whatever the truth of this case, there are reasons to be particularly concerned about Chinese intelligence efforts and Britain’s response. One is…
High-octane, sexy, glamorous? Sorry, in this Sunak era even the ‘spy’ scandals are dull | Marina Hyde
The opening to the James Bond movie Spectre follows the titular spy in Day of the Dead costume as he moves through vast crowds at the spectacular celebrations in Mexico City. Into a six-star hotel, past a masquerade party, whereupon his glamorous companion produces a key. Up to her room, passionate kiss, she’s on the bed – but he’s stripped down to his Savile Row suit and a Glock 17, and is straight out the window across the rooftops to assassinate a man for having a terrible ponytail. Misses, survives…
Spy allegations add fuel to heated Tory debate over China
Many of the debates inside the Conservative party about how western democracies should handle China are entirely common across Europe and the US, but somehow they have been conducted in a more heated and personalised way. One reason may be the confused and slow leadership on China shown by the government, symbolised by the refusal to follow Germany in publishing a China strategy. Others blame the entrenched factionalist political culture created by Brexit, and the narcissism of small differences. But the revelations that someone under investigation for allegedly being a…
Sunak says he told China actions to undermine UK democracy are ‘completely unacceptable’ – video
Rishi Sunak has said he told the Chinese premier, Li Qiang, at the G20 summit that actions aiming to undermine British democracy are unacceptable. The prime minister said he was emphatic that ‘actions which seek to undermine British democracy are completely unacceptable and will never be tolerated’ The Guardian