MI5 believes China must be placed in 'enhanced' tier of threats, Labour ministers are told
Share:
Labour is under pressure to toughen its stance on China in the wake of the scandal of the alleged spy who befriended Prince Andrew. The Government was urged on Monday to put the Communist superpower on a long-delayed list of countries that pose the biggest national security risks to the UK.
![[Yang with former Tory PM David Cameron and his wife Samantha]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/22/93211381-14199395-image-a-99_1734386990016.jpg)
Ministers were told that even MI5 believes China should be placed on the ‘enhanced’ tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), which compels people working for foreign powers to declare their lobbying. However there are fears that major British businesses are trying to block the move as damaging to Chinese investment, and it could be resisted by Labour as Sir Keir Starmer attempts to improve relations with Beijing.
![[President Xi Jinping. MI5 believes China should be placed on the ‘enhanced’ tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/22/93211387-14199395-image-a-88_1734386940721.jpg)
Former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat welcomed the belated introduction of FIRS next year but told the Commons: ‘The real question is whether it’s worth having and the advice from MI5 was very clear: if China isn’t in the enhanced tier, it’s not worth having.’.
![[Tengbo pictured sixth from right at a Pitch@Palace investment event in January 2019]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/23/93199609-14199395-Tengbo_pictured_sixth_from_right_at_a_Pitch_Palace_investment_ev-a-15_1734390035512.jpg)
He asked: ‘Will China be in that tier?’. His Labour successor Dan Jarvis replied: ‘We’re looking very carefully, very closely, working with colleagues across Government, to look at how we can best structure the scheme.’. Ex Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who secured an Urgent Question on the extent of Chinese operations in the UK, also called for China to be placed in the enhanced tier immediately.
![[Yang Tengbo was named today as the Chinese businessman with links to Prince Andrew]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/16/22/93211383-14199395-image-a-100_1734387068788.jpg)
