Alleged Chinese spy linked to Prince Andrew is ‘tip of the iceberg’, warns former Tory leader

A minister admitted it is a “concern” that an alleged Chinese spy was able to “slip through the net” to form links at the heart of the British establishment.

The suspect, known only as H6, is said to have become a “close” confidant of the Duke of York and has also been pictured with senior politicians including David Cameron and Theresa May.

MPs could seek to use parliamentary privilege to reveal H6’s identity, but government minister Jim McMahon said the legal protection offered to parliamentarians should be used with caution.

Local government minister Mr McMahon told Times Radio: “It’s a concern for all of us that work in Parliament, that the trust has been breached in the way that it has, and that somebody has been found to slip through the net.

“That clearly is a concern. Whether or not that requires somebody being named in Parliament under parliamentary privilege, I think, is a separate matter.”

China’s espionage network is assiduously preparing the ground – not to strike at the United Kingdom, but to ensure its passivity in the event of war against the United States, writes Michael Sheridan

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said there is “nothing wrong” with the foreign influence registration scheme (Firs), which would require individuals to disclose who they are in an arrangement with, what activity they have been directed to undertake, and when the arrangement was made.

Responding to a comment from a Home Office source, who told the Guardian that the Conservatives had not left the scheme in a fit state to be enacted but that it is still the Government’s intention for it come into force, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There is nothing wrong with the foreign influence registration scheme.

“‘It’s not fit for purpose’, I don’t believe a word of that, nobody with half a brain will believe a word of that. The reality is, it’s an excuse not to upset China.

“We are now seen, I think, by our five eyes security partners, as the soft underbelly of that alliance and that’s a real worry.”

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said there are “many, many more” like H6, the alleged Chinese spy, in the UK.

The MP is applying for an urgent question in the Commons on the influence of Beijing’s shadowy United Front Work Department, the group said to be associated with the unnamed man.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We’re dealing with the tip of the iceberg. The fact is there are many more like him (H6) in the UK.

“There are many more doing the job that he’s been doing, and the fact he was leaving the UK tells you that he realised at some point he was going to get caught.

“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.”

Former security minister Tom Tugendhat has said that allegations that a Chinese spy became close to the Duke of York are the “tip of the iceberg”.

After reports that the alleged spy had met Lord David Cameron and Baroness Theresa May, Mr Tugendhat was asked on BBC Breakfast how worried he was that Chinese spies had got within reach of senior Tories during his time in government.

The Conservative MP said: “I’m sure it’s happening now. I’m absolutely certain that there are members of the United Front Work Department who are active right now in attempting to influence journalism, academics, politics, and the whole lot. This is really the tip of the iceberg.

“And so the story I can understand why it’s been about Prince Andrew, but it’s not really about Prince Andrew. It’s about the way the Chinese Communist Party is seeking to exert influence here in the United Kingdom.”

He did not say whether he thought the alleged spy should be named in Parliament, saying instead that the important thing was to understand the level of threat and respond to it.

He urged the Government to introduce the foreign influence registration scheme and put China on the enhanced tier of it.

Ministers are under increasing pressure to act after an alleged Chinese spy became a close confidant of the Duke of York and reportedly met two former prime ministers, as MPs threatened to name him if the courts do not.

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith accused a “weak” Labour government of not wanting to be seen to criticise China, while the shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said the public deserved to know the “full facts” behind the case, warning “we cannot turn a blind eye”.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said the courts should name him. “The spy should be named – I hope the court change or cancel their anonymity order. There may be other people who have had contact with that person,” he said.

As calls mounted, Lord Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong accused the government of being “too soft” on China and urged ministers to set out a “pretty clear statement” on their policy towards the state. The demands came as home secretary Yvette Cooper claimed the government’s approach was “complex” because Britain needed to have economic cooperation with China – even as she warned the communist state the UK would take a “very strong approach” to national security.

Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports: