1 of 2 | Counter-terrorism police in Britain have arrested two men, one of whom was a researcher in Parliament, under the Official Secrets Act on suspicion of spying for China. File Photo by Andy Rain/EPA-EFE
Sept. 11 (UPI) — A researcher in Britain’s parliament is currently under investigation by counter-terrorism police after his arrest on suspicion of spying for China.
The arrested individual, a man in his 20s, was detained in Edinburgh, located 410 miles north of London, under the Official Secrets Act. He had links to senior conservative MPs involved in foreign policy-making and possessed a security clearance that granted him potential access to sensitive information.
A second man in his 30s was also arrested in Oxford under anti-espionage legislation, according to London’s Metropolitan Police, as reported by UPI.
The arrests initially occurred in March, and both men were subsequently released on bail until their court date scheduled for early October.
“The investigation is being carried out by officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, which has responsibility for investigations relating to allegations of Official Secrets Act and espionage-related offenses,” stated the Metropolitan Police.
The researcher had contact with security minister Tom Tugendhat, chair of the foreign affairs committee Alicia Kearns, and others, as first reported by the Sunday Times. As of now, neither of the two MPs, both vocal critics of China, has responded.
Several hours later, during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit in New Delhi, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confronted China regarding their “interference” in British democracy.
“I can’t comment on the details of an ongoing investigation, but in relation to my conversation with Premier Li, I specifically expressed various concerns we have concerning areas of disagreement, particularly my strong concerns about any interference in our parliamentary democracy, which is completely unacceptable,” stated Sunak.
In response, China’s account of the meeting made no mention of the issue, while their embassy in London vehemently denied the accusation.
“The claim that China is suspected of ‘stealing British intelligence’ is entirely fabricated and nothing more than malicious slander,” declared an embassy spokesperson.
“We firmly oppose it and urge relevant parties in the U.K. to cease their anti-China political manipulation and refrain from staging such self-made political spectacles.”
Rory Stewart, a former international development minister born in Hong Kong, emphasized the need for the United Kingdom to take stronger action to protect itself from Chinese and Russian espionage efforts.
“Authoritarian states have a vested interest in weakening countries like the United Kingdom, so we must exercise extreme caution,” Stewart suggested.
He further added, “Individuals with strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party have been providing financial support to Labour MPs and employing former Conservative MPs,” advocating for an urgent review of the allocation of parliamentary access passes and MP funding methods.
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