UK’s MI5 warned Conservatives over possible Chinese spy candidates. On Wednesday, the Times reported that Britain’s MI5 alerted the Conservative Party that two prospective legislators may be Chinese spies, and the party banned them.
MI5 warned the Conservatives that two 2021 and 2022 candidates had Chinese ties, and they removed them from the electoral pool, the newspaper said.
Health and Social Care Minister Maria Caulfield told Times Radio the government takes Chinese meddling reports “very seriously.”
“Swift action was taken, they were removed from the list, they’re not running,” she added.
Considering the Times article, a Conservative Party spokeswoman stated, “When we receive credible information regarding security concerns over potential candidates, we act upon them.”
After Sunday’s announcement that a British parliamentary researcher was jailed in March for spying for China, China’s fear is rising.
China claimed the claims were false and encouraged parties to halt “self-directed political farce” and anti-China political manipulation earlier in the week.
British security agencies have warned MPs about the danger to parliament, and MI5 Director General Ken McCallum claimed the Chinese were playing “the long game” in establishing links last year.
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