A former opposition lawmaker in Britain’s House of Commons has alleged that the UK’s domestic spy agency MI5 may have issued a rare alert notice in 2022 about an alleged Chinese agent as a distraction from the so-called Partygate scandal. The alert, issued in January 2022, accused Christine Ching Kui Lee of acting covertly on behalf of China’s ruling Communist Party and engaging in political interference activities in the UK.
The timing of the alert, coming a day after former Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologized for the Partygate scandal, raised suspicions. Barry Gardiner, a former Labour Party lawmaker to whom Lee had donated over £500,000, suggested that the MI5 alert was meant to divert attention from Johnson’s Partygate apology. However, no concrete evidence was presented to support this claim during the tribunal hearing.
The MI5 alert also alleged that Lee had facilitated financial donations to political entities in the UK on behalf of foreign nationals. Lee and her son, Daniel Wilkes, who lost his job due to the alert, are taking legal action against the Security Service, arguing that the alert was unlawful and violated their human rights.
It was clarified that at the time of the donations, it was not illegal for Lee to make them, as the UK did not have a foreign agents registration act. Lee, listed as a British national, was affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, which was also not illegal for a British citizen or foreign national working in the UK. The UK has since introduced a foreign agents registration act, expected to be enforced later this year.
Gardiner emphasized that he did not personally benefit from Lee’s donations and that the funds were properly reported and verified. The tribunal hearing will continue to investigate the allegations and the circumstances surrounding the MI5 alert.
