U.K. Parliament Researcher arrested under anti-espionage laws on charges of spying for China
The United Kingdom (U.K.) Parliament Researcher arrested under anti-espionage laws on charges of spying for China has said that he is innocent.
In a statement released through lawyers, he said he felt “forced to respond” to accusations in the media. He was one of two men arrested in March 2023 under the Official Secrets Act. Of the two men, one is in his 30s and was detained in Oxfordshire. The other man is in his 20s and was arrested in Edinburgh.
A Statement from the Lawyers read, “It is wrong that I should be obliged to make any form of public comment on the misreporting that has taken place. However, given what has been reported, it is vital that it is known that I am completely innocent.”
The Statement further read, “I have spent my career to date trying to educate others about the challenge and threats presented by the Chinese Communist Party. To do what has been claimed against me in extravagant news reporting would be against everything I stand for.”
Both the men have been released on bail and the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, which oversees espionage-related offences, is investigating the matter.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of the U.K. – Rishi Sunak held a meeting with Chinese Premier – Li Qiang on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in India, to raise several concerns over the espionage issue.
The Parliament Researcher had access to Security Minister – Tom Tugendhat and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman – Alicia Kearns, among others. Mr Tugendhat is said to have had only limited contact with the man and no dealings with him as a Minister.
The arrest of the Researcher has renewed a debate among Conservative MPs about whether the U.K. should take a stricter approach to China. The Tory MPs have called for the Government to officially designate China as a threat to the U.K., a move so far resisted by Ministers.
Earlier, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the UK had to be “very careful with the language that we use”, adding that calling China a threat would “escalate things”.
She said the UK’s current position – that China presents an “epoch-defining challenge” – was in line with the stance taken by British allies.
China is the U.K.’s 4th largest trading partner and British Ministers regularly highlight the need to work with the country on significant international issues such as tackling climate change. However, the relations have soured in recent years over a series of issues, including threats to civil liberties in the former British colony of Hong Kong and China’s support for Russia during the war in Ukraine.
