British Intelligence MI5 Warns Politicians They Are Targets of Russian and Chinese Espionage

The UK’s domestic spy agency, MI5, issued a rare public warning to members of parliament on Monday that they are being targeted by spies from China, Russia, and Iran in an attempt to undermine the country’s democracy, writes Reuters.

The warning comes a week after prosecutors said they were forced to drop the trial of two British men accused of spying on members of parliament for China, because the British government had not offered evidence showing that China was a threat to its national security.

MI5 warned politicians and their staff to be wary of spies seeking to extract information from them through blackmail or phishing attacks, by cultivating long-term, deep relationships with them, or by making donations to influence their decisions, reports Telegrafi.

“When foreign states steal vital UK information or manipulate our democratic processes, they not only damage our security in the short term, but also erode the foundations of our sovereignty,” said MI5 Director General, Ken McCallum.

MI5 asked politicians to “keep track of strange social interactions,” including frequent requests to meet privately, and to be careful if there are “blatant flattery.”

In remarks accompanying the advice to members of parliament, McCallum said: “Everyone who reads this guidance cares deeply about the role they play in UK democracy. Take action today to protect it – and yourselves.”

In January 2022, MI5 sent an alert notice regarding solicitor Christine Lee, claiming she was “involved in political interference activities” in the UK on behalf of China’s ruling Communist Party.

The warning was circulated to lawmakers by the Speaker of the House of Commons, who said MI5 had found that Lee had “facilitated financial donations to serving and aspiring parliamentarians on behalf of foreign nationals based in Hong Kong and China.”

Lee later sued MI5 in an attempt to clear her name but lost the case.

While British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sought to thaw ties with China since taking office last year, London and Beijing have consistently exchanged espionage accusations, with British security services warning of Chinese attempts to infiltrate its political and business communities.

In the case of the recently abandoned trial, the Chinese Embassy in London said in a statement: “We have stressed from the beginning that the claim that China instructed the relevant British individuals to ‘steal British intelligence’ is entirely fabricated and a malicious slander, which we firmly reject.” /Telegrafi/