Christine Lee, a lawyer accused of trying to interfere in British politics on behalf of the Chinese government, lost her legal challenge against the British intelligence agency MI5 on Tuesday.
The court's decision came a day after British authorities named Chinese national Yang Tengbo as an alleged spy who cultivated close ties with Prince Andrew and was photographed with two British prime ministers.
Here is the last one.
Who is Yang Tengbo?
Yang, 50, also known as Chris Yang, is listed as a director of Hampton Group International, a business consultancy that advises UK companies on their operations in China. He has been photographed at events with senior UK politicians, including former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May.
Yang is a key member of Pitch@Palace China, a Prince Andrew initiative to support entrepreneurs.
Yang worked as a junior civil servant in China before coming to the UK in 2002 to study. He earned a master's degree in public administration and public policy from York University before starting his business.
In 2013 he was granted the right to live and work in the UK for an indefinite period.
What happened to Prince Andrew?
Details of Yang's case emerged last week at a tribunal, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), which upheld the British authorities' decision to ban Yang from entering the UK in 2023. The Home Office said it was believed to have carried out "undercover". and deceptive activity" for the Chinese Communist Party.
The judges agreed with MI5, Britain's national intelligence agency, that Yang "posed a risk to national security" and dismissed his appeal. The court heard that in 2021, authorities found documents showing how close Yang was to Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles.
A letter from a senior adviser to Andrew told Yang: "Outside (Andrew's) closest internal confidants, you sit at the top of a tree that many, many people would like to be in."
The British Home Office told Yang they had reason to believe he was "engaged, or had previously engaged, in covert and deceptive activities on behalf of the United Front Work Department (UFWD), which is an arm of the "state of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) apparatus," in a letter cited in the SIAC ruling.
The court said that when Yang was interviewed by immigration authorities, she did not give a full account of her relationship with the prince.
Authorities have not released the information Yang allegedly obtained or sought to obtain. But the court cited a 2022 statement by the director of MI5 that described the Department of Labor's United Front objectives as buying and wielding influence, amplifying pro-China voices and silencing critics of the Chinese government's authority.
Who is Christine Lee?
The UK Security Service issued a security alert to all lawmakers in January 2022 warning that London barrister Christine Lee was knowingly engaged in "political interference activities in the UK" in coordination with the Department of Labor of the United Front.
Lee's firm, Christine Lee & Co., provided legal services primarily to the British Chinese community and had acted as legal adviser to the Chinese Embassy in London. According to official records, he gave £500,000 (C$906,000) to Labor MP Barry Gardiner, mostly for office expenses. His son, Daniel Wilks, worked as Gardiner's assistant for five years.
Lee received recognition from the Prime Minister's Office, during Theresa May's tenure, for "promoting engagement, understanding and co-operation between the Chinese and British communities in the UK".
On Tuesday, three judges at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal unanimously dismissed Lee's claims, saying MI5 had issued the warning about political interference for "legitimate reasons".
Beijing's response
Yang strongly denied the spying claims and said he was a victim of a changing political climate that had seen tensions rise between Britain and China.
"I have done nothing wrong or illegal," he said in a statement. "The widespread description of me as a 'spy' is completely false."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Tuesday called the espionage allegations against Yang "ridiculous", while the Chinese embassy in Britain condemned UK lawmakers for "defaming" the china
Lee, who was not charged with a crime, argued that the security alert against her was political and violated her human rights.
The answer to the British Parliament
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was concerned about the challenge posed by China, but remained committed to his government's strategy of engagement and cooperation with Beijing.
Starmer, who took office this summer, has sought to mend frayed ties and in November became the first British leader to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping since 2018.
Opposition MP Iain Duncan Smith, a leading critic of Beijing, said he was ignoring the clear threat posed by China.
"The reality is that there are many, many more involved in this type of espionage that is going on," he said.
Another royal headache
Andrew's office said on Friday that the royal met with Yang "through official channels" and nothing of a sensitive nature was ever discussed. The statement did not specify the date when the prince had "ceased all contact" with Yang.
Andrew was appointed the UK's special representative for international trade and investment in 2001. But he was forced to resign in 2011 amid growing concern over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, who had been sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Andrew gave a disastrous BBC interview in 2019 to explain the nature of Epstein's relationship. Andrew strongly denied that he sexually abused a teenager he met through Epstein, but in 2021 he settled a lawsuit she filed, donating a sum of money to the accuser's charity.
Early the following year, Queen Elizabeth stripped him of his honorary military posts and resigned from the leadership of several charities.
Britain's most prominent anti-monarchy group has called for a parliamentary inquiry into alleged royal corruption.
"When a Chinese spy befriends a royal, they want access to the British state. We need to know if the royals have given them what they want," said Graham Smith, leader of Republic.
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