Russia has been attempting to meddle with western democracy for years, but successive governments led by Boris Johnson and others have insisted that the UK’s electoral system can withstand its influence. That argument was recently blown apart by the conviction of former Reform politician Nathan Gill, jailed for 10 years for accepting bribes to advance Russian arguments. And now Steve Reed, the cabinet minister responsible for elections, has admitted there are worries that the UK’s “firewall” against foreign interference may not be strong enough as he ordered an independent review.…
Tag: UK security and counter-terrorism
MI5 ‘very relaxed’ about proposed Chinese super-embassy in London, sources say
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…
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…
Counter-terror police investigate claim UK university halted research after Chinese pressure
An investigation into allegations that a British university was subjected to pressure from Beijing authorities to halt research about human rights abuses in China has been referred to counter-terrorism police. The Guardian reported on Monday morning that Sheffield Hallam University, home to the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice (HKC) research institution, had ordered professor Laura Murphy to cease research on supply chains and forced labour in the country in February. Murphy’s work focuses on Uyghurs, a persecuted Muslim minority in China. A South Yorkshire police spokesperson said the force…
China spy row: Berry knew some of his contacts were non-commercial, messages suggest
Christopher Berry, the man at the heart of a controversial and now-abandoned Chinese espionage case, appeared to be aware that he was supplying information to a non-commercial client, according to messages seen by the Guardian. In August 2022, Berry sent a voice note saying that “they want me to work for them directly instead of going through the company”. The messages are included in an expert report written for Berry’s defence team by Kerry Brown, the director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London. The report was first…
Head of CPS faces cross-party pressure to explain China spy trial collapse
The director of public prosecutions has come under intense cross-party pressure to explain why the China spy trial collapsed as MI5 expressed frustration at the decision and MPs launched a series of inquiries into how it was taken. The chairs of the home affairs, foreign affairs, justice and national security committees wrote together to Stephen Parkinson, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), on Thursday calling on him to give “a fuller explanation for the dropping of charges”. They asked Parkinson “what steps did you take to make ministers…
Why MPs prefer conspiracy theory over cock-up in China spy case row | John Crace
It’s all as clear as mud. If Keir Starmer thought that releasing the three witness statements of the deputy national security adviser (DNSA) Matthew Collins late on Wednesday night was going to make the China spy case row go away, then he was in for a big disappointment. There was no way MPs were going to let a story like this out of their clutches. This was their moment to take centre stage. When they could bathe in their own importance. When they could believe that they and national security…
Why has the UK dropped its trial of two alleged China spies?
An extraordinary disclosure by Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, on Tuesday evening has triggered a political row over who was behind the sudden abandonment of a high-profile espionage case. Two Britons had been accused of acting as spies for China. One of them, Christopher Cash, was a parliamentary researcher for the Conservative backbencher Alicia Kearns, specialising in China issues. A trial had been due to start in October, but three weeks ago the Crown Prosecution Service dropped proceedings with little explanation until Tuesday. What did the DPP say?…
Legal experts question reasoning behind CPS dropping China ‘spies’ case
Legal experts have questioned the explanation given by the Crown Prosecution Service for its sudden decision to drop charges against two Britons accused of spying for China amid a political row over who was responsible. The expert lawyers expressed surprise that the CPS thought it needed further assurance from the government that China was an enemy insofar as it posed “a current threat to national security” before the trial of Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry could go ahead. The former director of public prosecutions Ken Macdonald said in a BBC…
China threatened to retaliate against UK over foreign influence rules
China threatened to retaliate against the UK government if ministers targeted parts of its security apparatus under foreign influence rules, the Guardian can disclose. Chinese officials warned the Foreign Office that the move would have negative consequences for relations soon after the Guardian reported it was under consideration, according to two government sources with knowledge of the discussions. The disclosure will raise alarm bells given that ministers have so far refused to apply stricter foreign influence rules on lobbyists acting for China or any part of the Chinese state. Only…