Chinese agent in Parliament: what we know so far

On Thursday, MI5 issued a rare security warning, circulated to MPs and peers, about a “Chinese agent” who has infiltrated Parliament, seeking to improperly influence MPs across the political spectrum on behalf of China’s ruling Communist party. 

This alleged agent of the Chinese government, who faces accusations of influence peddling, has been named as Christine Ching Kui Lee, a 58-year-old Anglo-Chinese lawyer. 

According to MI5, Lee has “knowingly engaged in political interference activities on behalf of the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist party”. And she acted in coordination with the Chinese state when she “facilitated donations to serving and aspiring politicians from foreign citizens based in Hong Kong and China.” 

Lord McFall, the Speaker of the House of Lords, has said that “this facilitation was done covertly to mask the origins of the payments.”

What do we really know about Christine Ching Kui Lee and who else is implicated in this unusual accusation? Here’s what you need to know.

Who is Christine Ching Kui Lee? 

Lee moved from Hong Kong to Northern Ireland with her parents in 1974, and, as a high-profile solicitor, she has hobnobbed with politicians for at least 15 years. 

She has been photographed mingling with David Cameron, Jeremy Corbyn and China’s president, Xi Jinping, and, as recently as 2019, she received the Point of Light award from then-Prime Minister Theresa May for her work promoting Chinese-British cooperation. She was stripped of this award on Thursday.

Lee is the founder of the British Chinese Project, a non-profit organisation which aims to promote engagement, understanding and cooperation between the Chinese community and wider UK society.

It’s worth noting that Lee has been open about her links to the Chinese state: her Birmingham law firm, Christine Lee & Co Solicitors, records its role as legal adviser to the Chinese embassy.

Where was the money funneled and which MPs are implicated? 

Lee has been a long-time funder of the office of Barry Gardiner, the Labour MP for Brent North, who has been a close ally of the British Chinese Project. 

She has donated £584,177 to Gardiner’s office – “donations in kind”, made through her law firm. 

Lee’s son was also hired as a policy researcher in Gardiner’s office, working there right up until his resignation on Thursday following the MI5 disclosure. 

In light of the revelations, some have drawn attention to Gardiner’s vocal support during his time as Corbyn’s shadow trade secretary for the controversial new nuclear power station at Hinckley Point, a project involving Chinese investment. 

However, in a statement on Thursday, Gardiner insisted that Lee “gained no political advantage for the Chinese state from me”. 

He added: “All the donations were properly reported in the register of members’ interests and their source verified at the time. I have been assured by the security services that whilst they have definitively identified improper funding channeled through Christine Lee, this does not relate to any funding received by my office.”

In 2013, Lee also donated £5,000 to the Liberal Democrats in Kingston, a seat held by the party leader and then-energy secretary, Ed Davey. According to a Lib Dem spokesperson, “This donation was reported properly and all rules and guidance were followed.”

Was all this unexpected?

Warnings of this kind from MI5 are rare. This is the first time that MI5 has issued an “interference alert” relating to China. The only previous alert of its kind related to Russia. 

But that’s not to say the event has appeared out of nowhere. Late last year, Richard Moore, the head of MI6, announced that China had become the foreign intelligence agency’s “single greatest priority” for the first time in its history. And attempts by China to change the direction of legislation and government decision-making was cited as a key area of concern. 

Also last year, Ken McCallum, the director-general of MI5, warned that hostile states had been attempting to interfere in Westminster and influence parliamentarians. “Difficult questions,” he added, should be asked about matters such as political funding. 

Three Chinese spies, in the country on journalism visas, were quietly expelled in 2020 and MI5 is understood to have been monitoring Lee for some time.

How are governments responding to the disclosure? 

It’s understood that Lee is not being prosecuted. According to Whitehall sources, her case has been assessed and does not reach the threshold for prosecution under the Official Secrets Act.

Yet Damian Hinds, the security minister, has said that a review will examine the ties Lee managed to forge with establishment figures.

The Chinese embassy issued a statement on Thursday night, insisting: “China always adheres to the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. We have no need and never seek to ‘buy influence’ in any foreign parliament. We firmly oppose the trick of smearing and intimidation against the Chinese community in the UK.”