(March 4): UK police arrested three men accused of assisting China’s foreign intelligence service — one of whom is married to a sitting Labour member of parliament — highlighting Britain’s ongoing challenge to counter Chinese security threats only weeks after Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the country.
Another of the arrestees is the partner of a former Labour MP, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg requesting anonymity in relation to an active investigation.
UK Security Minister Dan Jarvis warned that China would face “severe consequences” if the allegations against the men were proved. The UK has démarched Chinese officials in London and Beijing in order to express concerns about the case, he told the House of Commons on Wednesday.
Two of the men were arrested in Wales and the third was detained in London on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. Searches were carried out in those locations as well as in Scotland as part of an investigation into alleged national security offences, according to the statement.
“We have seen a significant increase in our casework relating to national security in recent years, and we continue to work extremely closely with our partners to help keep the country safe and take action to disrupt malign activity where we suspect it,” said Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London.
Starmer visited China in January to meet President Xi Jinping as part of an attempt to thaw relations after years of strain under the previous Conservative administration. At the time, the prime minister told reporters he had raised national security issues with the Chinese leader.
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