UK: MI5 warns British lawmakers of alleged Chinese agent influence in political calls

UK spy agency, MI5, on Thursday, raised an alert over the "improper" influence of Chinese agents in the British parliament.

As per reports, MI5 named Christine Ching Kui Lee with evident links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and said that she "acted covertly in coordination" with the United Front Work Department (UFWD) and is "judged to be involved in political interference activities on behalf of the CCP in the UK," ANI reported. The "interference alert" has sparked fresh concerns over Beijing's hostilities expanding beyond its territorial borders.

The alert was brought to the House of Commons by Conservative MP and former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith. He also demanded immediate deportation of Lee and urged the UK government to make a statement to the House, BBC reported.

Referring to the threat alert, British Interior Minister Priti Patel later on Thursday said that it was "deeply concerning" to understand that an individual working on behalf of CCP was engaged with UK lawmakers.

Who is Christine Lee?

The alleged Chinese agent, Lee, runs a law firm in the UK with offices in London and Birmingham, BBC reported.  Meanwhile, The Times also published photographs of Lee with ex-UK PM David Cameron during his tenure and Labour Party MP Barry Gardiner, who is also said to have received a donation worth more than £4,20,000.

"We now anticipate and expect (this sort of interference) from China," said Tobias Ellwood a Conservative lawmaker, as quoted by The New York Times.

Lee has facilitated financial donations to "serving and aspiring parliamentarians on behalf of foreign nations based in Hong Kong, UK Parliament Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said in an e-mail. Hoyle also added that she Lee had been engaged with now broken-up with the all-party parliamentary group, Chinese in Britain.

The news comes as the UK has expedited its stance against Beijing. In 2020, British PM Boris Johnson largely banned Huawei, a Chinese telecom company, from supplying equipment for Britain's 5G network. In addition, the UK has also revoked the license of Chinese-backed broadcasters and granted visas to tens and thousands of Hong Kong residents after Beijing introduced the stringent National Security Law (NSL) to quell the pro-democracy protests.

China denies meddling with UK politics after MI5 alert

As allegations triggered debate among British lawmakers over the steps to mitigate such foreign interventions, the Chinese Embassy in London on Thursday accused MI5 of "smearing and intimidation" against the Chinese Community in the UK.

"China always adheres to the principle of non-interference in other country's internal affairs. We have no need to never seek to 'buy influence' in any foreign parliament. We formally oppose the trick of smearing and interpretation against Chinese community in the UK," a statement released by the Chinese Embassy in the UK was quoted by BBC.

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