There were demands on Sunday that a Chinese “spy” close to Prince Andrew must be unmasked by the courts.
The suspect had known the duke for a decade, raising major concerns about national security and Beijing’s influence on the British establishment.
The Mail can reveal that as well as royals and former prime ministers, the alleged agent also associated with captains of industry, prompting calls for him to be publicly identified amid fears there may be others in senior positions. that they are not aware that they have had dealings with them. a supposed spy.
He can currently only be called H6, thanks to an anonymity ruling by an immigration court that banned him from entering Britain on national security grounds.
However, in mockery of that order, the 50-year-old man’s name and photo are used wantonly in Chinese and American news reports and on social media, in coverage seen by millions of people around the world.
The matter will be reconsidered by High Court judges this week. Last night, MPs urged judges to lift the order as soon as possible, or face the prospect of MPs using parliamentary privilege to appoint him to the Commons or Lords without fear of legal recriminations.
Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, said: “It is in the public interest for this to be fully transparent. It is important to fully expose Chinese infiltration where it occurs.
“There may be other people that Officer H6 contacted or dealt with and if he is named publicly, those people will be able to come forward and contact security services.” “That is why it is important that the anonymity order be lifted as soon as possible.”
A Chinese ‘spy’ close to Prince Andrew (pictured) must be unmasked by the courts, it was demanded on Sunday
The Mail can reveal that as well as royals and former prime ministers, the alleged agent also liaised with captains of industry. In the photo: Prince Andrew with the alleged Chinese spy.
As The Mail on Sunday revealed, the businessman boasted of having visited Downing Street and kept photographs of his meetings with former prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May on the desk in his plush London office.
Footage from an interview with Chinese state television also included claims that he was invited to No. 10 to celebrate Chinese New Year.
The Mail further learned that the suspect had business with very senior people in the UK, with access to countless high-profile establishment figures, but who cannot be identified due to the draconian anonymity order.
The Special Immigration Appeal Tribunal (SIAC) previously ruled that the businessman could be named, but lodged an appeal, meaning he can only be referred to in the UK using the H6 cipher.
Critics, however, cited the example of two British citizens – former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash and professor Christopher Berry – who were named before UK courts after being accused of spying for China.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “As this spy case at the heart of Whitehall has shown, there is substantial evidence that China is working to undermine our institutions and the very values that underpin our country.”
‘It is in the public interest to know all the facts behind the spy. “We cannot turn a blind eye to China’s hostile incursions.”
Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, said: “It is in the public interest for this to be fully transparent. It is important to fully expose Chinese infiltration where it occurs.”
Toby Young, general secretary of the campaign group Free Speech Union, said: “The British state has no duty to protect the identity of foreigners accused of espionage.
‘The suspect has been named by the media in China and the United States… so refusing to allow the British media to name him would be futile. Your name is already there.
Former Conservative party leader and China hawk Sir Iain Duncan Smith is due to ask for an Urgent Question to raise concerns about Chinese state influence when the House of Commons meets today.
Reform leader Nigel Farage told the Mail last night that he would be willing to use parliamentary privilege to name the alleged spy, saying: “Reform UK believes this is such an important issue that the public deserves the truth.”
The measure has previously been used by politicians in legal cases involving former Manchester United footballer Ryan Giggs, former Topshop boss Sir Philip Green, and a soldier accused of Troubles-related murders.
Claims involving H6 and Andrew emerged on Thursday, when it was confirmed that the former had been banned from entering the UK by then Home Secretary Suella Braverman in a move backed by MI5.
Legal documents show Andrew’s “close confidant” had been working on the basis that the disgraced duke was in “a desperate situation and would cling to anything”.
Andrew and the suspect first met in 2012, but it was not until 2022, after the former Chinese official was reported by security services, that he was “dropped” by the Duke of York.
‘He said he met with H6 through ‘official channels’ and that ‘nothing of a sensitive nature was ever discussed.’
Labor admitted relations with China were “complex” but refused to criticize the nation citing the countries’ “economic” relationship.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “We will continue to take a very strong approach to our national security, which includes any challenge to our national security, including our economic security from China. , from other countries in the world”. world, that will always be the approach we will take.