LONDON — The British government is facing fresh pressure over China after an alleged spy with close links to Prince Andrew was barred from the U.K.
Court documents released last week revealed that a 50-year-old Chinese national — described as a “close confidant” of King Charles III’s brother — had been banned from the U.K. on national security grounds.
The documents say the man, referred to only as H6 and alleged to have links to China’s overseas influence-focused United Front Work Department (UFWD), was invited to Andrew’s 2020 birthday party and given permission to represent the royal in business deals.
The Sunday Times reported this weekend that H6 even met prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May during his time as an associate of Andrew. Andrew said in statement that he had severed all ties with the man.
Beyond questions about the royal’s judgment, hawkish Conservative MPs said they planned to use a House of Commons question Monday to press the British government on its own vigilance when it comes to Chinese influence.
Tory MP and former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat told POLITICO London Playbook that the alleged Prince Andrew link is “just the tip of the iceberg” and that the Chinese state is using the UFWD to “conduct massive operations targeting not just the government and the royal family, but our universities, businesses and institutions too.”
Fellow Conservative China hawk Iain Duncan Smith echoed that line, and warned of extensive Chinese influence in the U.K. H6 was barred from the U.K. on the orders of Conservative then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman, and lost his challenge to that decision.
Speaking to Radio 4 Monday morning, Duncan Smith said: “The reality is that there are many, many more involved in exactly this kind of espionage that’s taking place. The reality for us is very simple — China is a very clear threat.”
Duncan Smith called for the U.K. to get on with implementing its long-delayed Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which was paused when Labour came into power this summer. The new government, seeking a reset of the U.K.’s ties with China, is blaming poor administration by the Tories for the hold-up.
The Tory MP insisted there was “nothing wrong” with FIRS and “nobody with half a brain will believe” government claims that it is not ready to deploy the system, which would require state agents to register their activity or face prosecution.
“The reality is, it’s an excuse not to upset China. We are now seen … by our Five Eyes security partners, as the soft underbelly of that alliance and that’s a real worry,” Duncan Smith argued.
MPs from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party meanwhile plan to use parliamentary privilege Monday to sidestep legal restrictions on naming the alleged agent.
Government minister Jim McMahon told Sky News he assumed everyone in the Cabinet “depending on their security clearance — will know the answer to that question,” regarding the spy’s identity.
But he told Times Radio that MPs should be cautious about naming H6.
On Britain’s relationship with China, he insisted the government has “eyes wide open” to both the opportunities and threats the country poses.
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