UK Parliament Warned of Chinese Recruitment Attempts via LinkedIn
Westminster staffer Simon Whelband reported receiving a suspicious LinkedIn message from an account named 'Shirly Shen' offering a job opportunity. The message contained poorly written English and was framed as a job offer. After briefing Parliament's security services, Whelband blocked the account. Such recruitment attempts are seen as targeting parliamentary staff and potentially misleading junior employees.
MI5 has identified two LinkedIn profiles, including those of 'Amanda Qiu' and 'Shirly Shen,' as being used by Chinese security services acting as civilian recruitment headhunters. These profiles attempt to solicit insider insights from UK political circles.
This warning was circulated to Members of Parliament and peers by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Lords Speaker Lord McFall amid broader concerns about Chinese influence and attempts to infiltrate Parliament. MPs have highlighted various security risks including Chinese-made buses equipped with kill switches, military vehicles fitted with listening devices, and planning permission for a large Chinese embassy near sensitive data cables in London.
These developments come in the wake of a collapsed court case last month involving two men accused of spying for China, one of whom had ties to Westminster; both men denied any wrongdoing.
MI5's warnings indicate that China seeks insider information by leveraging relationships with officials and staff using recruitment networks such as LinkedIn. The UK government's approach to China is described as pragmatic and clear-eyed, although some MPs call for a more skeptical stance.
Meanwhile, there have been recent high-level UK visits to Beijing, including those by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Business Secretary Peter Kyle, and the top Foreign Office civil servant Sir Olly Robbins last month.
