MPs and parliamentarians have been warned of new attempts to spy on them by China.
The security service MI5 sent a warning to those working in Westminster about two recruitment headhunters to watch out for who are working for Chinese security services.
The message to parliamentary staff, seen by Sky News, says: “I am writing to you now to draw your attention to the attached espionage alert issued by the Security Service, MI5, to the parliamentary community.
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“This alert highlights how the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) is actively reaching out to individuals in our community.
“Their aim is to collect information and lay the groundwork for long-term relationships, using professional networking sites, recruitment agents and consultants acting on their behalf.”
Westminster employees were warned that two individuals were both known to be reaching out on LinkedIn to “conduct outreach at scale on behalf of MSS”.
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“The alert also highlights that other similar profiles are acting as fronts for espionage,” the warning continued.
“MI5 has issued this alert because the activity is targeted and widespread.”
Speaking in the House of Commons, security minister Dan Jarvis said: “Our intelligence agencies have warned that China is attempting to recruit and cultivate individuals with access to sensitive information about parliament and the UK government.
“MI5 have stated that this activity is being carried out by a group of Chinese intelligence officers, often masked through the use of cover companies or external head-hunters.”
He said that as well as MPs and peers, the likes of staff, economists, thinktank employees, consultants and civil servants have all been targeted.
Mr Jarvis added: “I urge all parliamentarians and their staff to be wary that China has a low threshold for what information is considered to be of value, and will gather individual pieces of information to build a wider picture.
“Let me speak plainly. This activity involves a covert and calculated attempt by a foreign power to interfere with our sovereign affairs in favour of its own interests, and this government will not tolerate it.”
The minister said that Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper met with China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on 6 November and told him “any activity that threatens UK national security, particularly in relation to the UK’s parliament and democracy, will not be tolerated”.
This latest warning comes after the collapse of a prosecution into two people suspected of spying on behalf of China.
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The previous spying allegations led to controversy into how the government under Labour responded to the Crown Prosecution Service’s requests for evidence.
Sir Keir Starmer sought to blame the previous Conservative government for the issues, which centred on whether China could be designated an “enemy” under First World War era legislation.
Starmer has sought to keep relationships with Beijing somewhat warm, highlighting the value in China as a trading partner.
As part of their reaction to the latest spying attempt, Mr Jarvis announced a slew of new security measures.
This includes new investment in sovereign encryption technology, the removal of surveillance equipment manufactured in China, and investment in UK resilience against state-based threats.
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