Security Minister Dan Jarvis announced new initiatives aimed at disrupting and deterring threats to the United Kingdom, coinciding with MI5’s issuance of an espionage alert to Parliament.

London, (Shahzad Ali) – MI5 has issued an alert regarding Chinese espionage activities in Westminster.

The Security Minister has condemned what he describes as ‘a covert and calculated attempt by China to interfere with our sovereign affairs’ and has pledged to implement measures to safeguard national security.

The forthcoming action plan to combat espionage includes legislative amendments to enhance the powers of national security agencies.

The government has outlined new measures against espionage threats, as MI5 has issued an alert to Members of Parliament, Peers, and parliamentary staff after discovering attempts by Chinese intelligence officers to recruit individuals with access to sensitive information about the British state.

The UK’s domestic intelligence service has identified two online profiles that are believed to be operated by legitimate recruiters working for Chinese intelligence officials, aimed at establishing relationships with potential targets on platforms such as LinkedIn. Espionage alerts serve as a crucial tool in undermining the operational capabilities of spies.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis has informed Members of Parliament that he will coordinate a new Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan designed to disrupt and deter espionage activities from states such as China.

This plan includes providing security briefings for political parties, issuing guidance to election candidates to recognize, resist, and report suspicious activities, collaborating with professional networking platforms to create a hostile environment for spies, and tightening regulations on political donations through the introduction of a new Elections Bill.

He further added that the government will persist in taking additional measures against individuals based in China involved in malicious cyber activities targeting the UK and its allies.

Security Minister, Dan Jarvis MBE, said:
Today we’ve taken action to expose a covert and calculated attempt by China to interfere with our sovereign affairs. This government’s first duty is to keep the country safe, which is why I’ve announced new action to give security officials the powers and tools they need to help disrupt and deter foreign espionage activity wherever they find it.

As a country with a long and proud history of trading around the world, it’s in our interests to continue to seek an economic relationship with China, but this government will always challenge countries whenever they undermine our democratic way of life.