Concerns over Chinese espionage targeting UK Parliament amid dropped spying case
An MP's aide, Simon Whelband, reported a suspicious LinkedIn message from an account named Shirly Shen and was advised to block it after alerting Parliament's security services. These LinkedIn profiles, including Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen, were identified by MI5 as being used by Chinese security services as civilian recruitment headhunters targeting UK politics.
The warning about these accounts was circulated to MPs and Lords by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and House of Lords Speaker Lord McFall. The BBC has contacted the profiles but it is unclear if the pictured individuals are the actual account holders. Whelband noted the message claiming a job opportunity was written in poor English and warned junior staff might mistake such messages for genuine offers.
MPs across parties have expressed concern that China may increasingly target Parliament via staff to gain insider information. Security minister Dan Jarvis acknowledged a broad set of worries in the Commons. Parliamentary debate highlighted specific fears: Chinese-made buses could have kill switches enabling disruption; Chinese-made military vehicles might carry mobile listening devices; and a proposed large Chinese embassy near critical data cables in central London has raised spying concerns.
Last month, Parliament was digesting the collapse of a spying trial involving two men, Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, charged under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly passing information to a Chinese intelligence agent between December 2021 and February 2023; both deny the allegations. The CPS dropped the case in September 2025 after concluding it could not obtain government evidence to prove China was a national-security threat at the time of the offences, citing a relevant legal precedent. A separate spying case earlier in 2025 established that China would need to be labelled a national-security threat for offences to proceed; the CPS argued this threshold was not met.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the decision was a CPS matter and criticised the preceding Conservative government for not designating China as a threat at the time, a claim disputed by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. Matthew Collins, deputy national security adviser, provided witness statements describing China as the biggest state-based threat to the UK's economic security. The government published the witness statements with Downing Street emphasizing that ministers did not influence the CPS decision. The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy found serious systemic failures in handling the case and urged formal case conferences and clearer processes for sensitive prosecutions.
MI5 has warned of Chinese spies targeting MPs and parliamentary staff via LinkedIn profiles. The Chinese embassy dismissed the claims as fabrication. A decision on the planned ‘mega embassy’ for China near Royal Mint Court in the City of London is expected on 20 January.
The government maintains a pragmatic approach to China, stating engagement is inevitable but must be done with a clear-eyed view of risks. It remains to be seen if more MPs will push for a more sceptical stance.
