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A No. 10 spokesperson has said Mr Sunak \u201cmet Premier Li Qiang and conveyed his significant concerns about Chinese interference in the UK\u2019s parliamentary democracy\u201d.<\/p>\n
The meeting between Mr Sunak and his Chinese counterpart had not previously been scheduled in their diaries.<\/p>\n
The researcher had links to both Tom Tugendhat, the Security Minister, and Alicia Kearns, the chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee and an outspoken critic of China.<\/p>\n
The man, in his late 20s, was arrested by counterterrorism police in Edinburgh on suspicion of espionage-related offences in March.<\/p>\n
Section One of the Official Secrets Act concerns passing information over to enemies which may be useful to them, and or prejudicial to the safety or interests of Britain. He held a Commons pass up until that point.<\/p>\n
Don’t miss… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n The Sunday Times reports he previously spent time living and working in China, where security officials believe he may have been recruited as a sleeper agent.<\/p>\n Security Minister Tom Tugendhat is said to have only had limited contact with the researcher, and none at all since being appointed security minister.<\/p>\n A Whitehall source said: \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure he turned some backbenchers from China hawks into being apathetic about Beijing\u201d.<\/p>\n “He was regularly complaining about a lack of nuance among China-sceptic MPs and seemed to have a particular issue with Iain Duncan Smith.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Dunan Smith has since responded by saying: “If true, this is very serious and of great concern. It shows that we cannot afford to be complacent about the threat that the CCP poses to the function of Parliament and our democratic way of life”.<\/p>\n Liz Truss endorsed his comments.<\/p>\n FCO Chairman Alicia Kearns MP last night said: \u201cI am aware of the Sunday Times report. I will not be commenting.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I recognise the public interest, we all have a duty to ensure any work of the authorities is not jeopardised.\u201d<\/p>\n
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