UK opposition demands 'full audit' of ties with China amid spying row

By Mehmet Solmaz

BIRMINGHAM, England (AA) - British main opposition leader Keir Starmer has called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday for a “full-audit” of the UK’s relations with China after reports emerged that a parliamentary researcher was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.

The researcher was arrested in March but details were only released at the weekend when it emerged that he had links with senior Tories.

During the weekly Prime Minister's Questions (PMQ) session in parliament, Starmer said the arrest highlights a “serious security concern.”

He then pointed out to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly’s visit to China on Aug. 30 and asked Sunak whether if the top diplomat raised the specific issue of the alleged spy.

“I ask the prime minister again, did the Foreign Secretary raise this specific case when he visited China, yes or no?”

The premier responded, saying: “I refer to my previous answer where I said very clearly that the foreign secretary raised these issues with the Chinese foreign minister who he met, as did I when I had my meeting with Premier Li (Qiang) over the weekend.”

Starmer insisted that Sunak has not given a clear message and added: “Yet again, the prime minister fails to heed the warnings and he's now desperately playing catch up. So, will he finally commit to the full audit of UK-China relations which so many in this House have so long demanded?”

In a related development, the Times reported on Monday that two potential parliamentary candidates were removed from the list of the ruling Conservative Party after domestic intelligence agency MI5 warned that they could be spying for China.

The claim was confirmed by Health Minister Maria Caulfield, who said: “Swift action was taken and they were removed from the list. They are not standing for election.”

Reports say that the MI5 warned the two had links to China’s United Front Work Department, a body allegedly tasked with influencing global policy and opinion.

Shortly after his appointment as the head of the MI5 in 2020, Ken McCallum said China poses the greatest long-term challenge to the UK.

He said “hostile states” no longer simply steal secrets and spy, but also target Britain’s democracy, economy, and infrastructure.