Politicians and royals need to be extremely vigilant of Chinese spies, shadow home secretary Chris Philp warns

The shadow home secretary said he is “deeply concerned” about allegations of Chinese spies in the UK and warned those in public life to be “extremely vigilant”.

Chris Philp told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme the Chinese Communist Party has been “engaging in organised and systemic attempts to influence political life” for many years.

Sky News has seen photos of the alleged Chinese spy with David Cameron and Theresa May when they were Conservative prime ministers.

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On Thursday the businessman and “close confidant” of Prince Andrew, known as “H6” for legal reasons, was banned from entering the country, with judges arguing the Duke of York could have been made “vulnerable” by his influence.

Mr Philp warned: “I think everybody in public life and involved in business and academia needs to think very, very carefully about people who might be connected to the Chinese state.

“I think people who are in positions that are sensitive or high profile should be particularly vigilant.”

He said the fact H6 was in contact with Prince Andrew shows “there are risks there and everyone needs to be extremely vigilant”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government’s approach to China is a “complex arrangement” because it balances security concerns with working together on its economy.

She told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: “We will continue to take a very strong approach to our national security, that includes to any challenge to our national security including to our economic security from China, from other countries around the world, that will always be the approach that we will take.

“Of course, with China, we also need to make sure we have that economic interaction, economic co-operation in place as well. So it’s a complex arrangement.”

Both Lord Cameron and Lady May’s spokespeople told Sky News they meet and are photographed with many people each year.

Lady May’s spokeswoman said she does not remember “when or where this particular photograph was taken or the man in question”.

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Mr Philp said it seemed like H6 was photographed with the two former prime ministers “on a sort of almost brush-by basis…and there was no sort of meaningful contact or communication”.

“In public life, you stop and get photographed next to people the whole time,” he said.

“It happens dozens of times a week and it doesn’t imply any sort of, deep relationship.”

H6 was invited to Prince Andrew’s birthday party in 2020, and was told by royal aide Dominic Hampshire he could act on the duke’s behalf when dealing with potential investors in China, a tribunal heard in July this year.

A judge ruled the Chinese businessman had an “unusual” degree of trust from the royal.

On Friday, the duke said he “ceased all contact” with the businessman after concerns were raised by the government.

H6 was first excluded from entering the country in 2023 over national security fears by Suella Braverman, who was home secretary at the time.

In July that year, the Home Office said H6 was considered to have engaged in “covert and deceptive activity” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.

He then argued it was unlawful and appealed the ruling but judges upheld the ban on him entering the UK on Thursday.