MI5: Chinese sleepers are targeting MPs
MI5 fears Chinese sleeper agents are trying to infiltrate the House of Commons to download secrets from MPs’ computers.
And British spymasters decided to expose the activities of Christine Lee in a bid to warn them off.
A source told the Sunday Mirror: “Access to Parliament is everything. If they have that, it’s easy enough to pop into offices and stick a USB drive into a computer.”
In addition to Whitehall secrets MPs may hold, spies could also get information on Chinese dissidents who have been in contact with them.
China has denied interfering in UK politics after MI5’s claims that Ms Lee is a spy.
Security service surveillance teams had been monitoring her as she gave donations to politicians, including more than £420,000 to Labour MP Barry Gardiner since 2014.
Her son later became the former shadow Cabinet minister’s diary manager, but left last week when his mother’s activities were revealed.
The source added: “To understand Chinese intelligence you have to think like they do.
“They play a long and patient game and they love to get assets embedded in the system for future use.
“Once an MP has accepted a donation, there is always the potential for future blackmail.”
There is no suggestion Mr Gardiner fell for that and all the money was properly declared and used to assist with office running costs.
He said: “It paid for researchers and none of it was for my personal benefit.”
The Chinese Embassy accused MI5 of “smearing and intimidation” against the UK’s Chinese community.
Ms Lee claimed her involvement with Parliament had been to “represent the UK Chinese and increase diversity”.
MI5 said that she was working for the Communist Party’s United Front Work Department to “cultivate relations with influential figures” including former PMs David Cameron and Theresa May.
The UFWD has its strings pulled by the Chinese secret service MSS, the Ministry of State Security.
MI5 decided not to prosecute or deport Ms Lee because it would involve producing intelligence on how she had been caught.
The source said: “Disrupting her operation is easier, cheaper and much less hassle.”