The United Kingdom’s domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, the MI5, has warned that a Chinese government agent has been working in parliament “to subvert the processes”.
House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle sent a letter to MPs saying a woman called Christine Lee has been “engaged in political interference activities on behalf of the Chinese Community Party, engaging with members here at parliament”.
Hoyle also said Lee has been involved with the now disbanded all-party parliamentary group, Chinese in Britain.
Former Leader of the Conservative Party, Iain Duncan Smith, told the Commons that Hoyle has written to MPs to let them know he has been contacted by MI5 over the matter. Smith said:
I understand that Mr Speaker has been contacted by MI5 and is now warning members of parliament that there has been an agent of the Chinese government active here in parliament working with a Member of Parliament, obviously to subvert the processes here.
I say, as a Member of Parliament who has been sanctioned by the Chinese government, that this is a matter of grave concern.