MI5 warns MPs and peers over risk of Chinese espionage
Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords have been warned by MI5 that they could be in danger of espionage from the Chinese state.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and the Lord Speaker, Lord McFall, have circulated a new espionage warning issued by the security services. In an email to MPs, Sir Lindsay said that Chinese state actors were "relentless" in their attempts to "interfere with our processes and influence in Parliament."
He stated that these actors are "actively reaching out to individuals in our community," seeking to "collect data and lay the groundwork for long-term partnerships" by using professional networking portals, recruitment consultants, and consultants working on their behalf.
According to the MI5 alert, false personas are being used to approach targets, often posing as freelance consultants authoring geopolitical papers. The alert specifically names two LinkedIn profiles that it claims are used on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS).
These profiles act as "civilian recruitment head-hunters," recruiting people working in British politics to provide the MSS with "non-public and insider insights."
Other aspects of espionage highlighted in the MI5 alert include offers of all-expenses-paid trips to China, as well as payment for information in cash or cryptocurrency.
The targets include MPs, members of the House of Lords, parliamentary staff, economists, think-tank workers, and geopolitical consultants.
Dan Jarvis, the Security Minister, will speak at the House of Commons later today regarding the steps being taken to combat Chinese espionage.
