Furious Speaker hits out at ministers over China spying scandal and warns parliament is not getting protection
House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle accused the Government of failing to protect MPs after Parliament was ‘surveilled’ by China.
It came as Security Secretary Dan Jarvis sought to distance the Labor government from the scandal by blaming an aide to National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell for the collapse of a case against two men alleged to have spied for Beijing.
Meanwhile, MI5 has published guidance for MPs, peers, councilors and parliamentary staff for the first time, warning them: ‘You are a potential target.’
In the growing debate over Beijing’s interference in our democracy, Sir Lindsay told the House of Commons on Monday: ‘I think it’s something the government needs to know; It is this Parliament that is being spied on. MPs’ offices were infiltrated.
‘And as it stands now, we’ve seen money being paid to spy on things that I believe should be protected.
‘I feel like we don’t have the protection right now… I’m angry and disappointed. My job is to protect Parliament. ‘I don’t think we’re getting that protection.’
He made the statement after espionage charges against former parliamentary inquiry Chris Cash and his friend Christopher Berry were dropped after the Government’s Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Collins refused to say China was a national security threat.
Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson halted the case on the eve of last month’s hearing after Mr Collins said the evidence of three witnesses did not support the Crown Prosecution Service case that the two defendants were passing secrets to Britain’s enemy.
In the growing debate over Beijing’s interference in our democracy, Sir Lindsay told the House of Commons on Monday: ‘I think it’s something the government needs to know; It is this Parliament that is being spied on. MPs’ offices were infiltrated.’
It came as Security Secretary Dan Jarvis sought to distance the Labor government from the scandal by blaming an aide to National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell for the collapse of a case against two men alleged to have spied for Beijing.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘This appears to be a deliberate decision to collapse the case and curry favor with the regime in China.’
On Monday, Mr Jarvis claimed Mr Collins was ‘given complete freedom to give evidence without interference’.
The Minister for Employment Security said: ‘This was a matter for the Deputy National Security Adviser, a highly experienced and highly competent senior official who provided evidence under the previous administration.’
He stressed that the government was ‘making every effort to support the cause’ and added: ‘We are fully aware that China poses a range of threats to the national security of the United Kingdom, but we must also be aware of the fact that China presents us with opportunities.’
But former security minister Tom Tugendhat quipped that Mr Jarvis had ‘set up many more straw men than Russia’s disinformation campaign’.
Calls grew last night for a legal inquiry into the scandal as Britain’s allies allegedly worried Labor was prepared to sacrifice national security for economic ties with Beijing.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson warned that allies were ‘now also questioning whether the UK can be trusted to counter the growing threat from China’.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘This appears to be a deliberate decision to collapse the case and curry favor with the regime in China.’
He added: ‘This weak Prime Minister does not have the backbone to stand up to Beijing.’
Yesterday, MI5 published guidance telling politicians and staff how to detect and respond to attempts at espionage and interference by hostile states.
It warns: ‘The UK is the target of long-term strategic foreign intervention and espionage by elements of the states of Russia, China and Iran.’
As well as urging caution at home, MI5 advises that foreign intelligence services may try to exploit foreign travel to access politicians’ data or use it as a way to influence financial donations.
But Ms Badenoch called on the Government to do more: ‘China have actually spied on this Parliament and they are handing out leaflets to us. This isn’t good enough.’
