The Sunday Times reported this weekend that H6 even met prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May during his time as an associate of Andrew. Andrew said in statement that he had severed all ties with the man.
Beyond questions about the royal’s judgment, hawkish Conservative MPs said they planned to use a House of Commons question Monday to press the British government on its own vigilance when it comes to Chinese influence.
Tory MP and former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat told POLITICO London Playbook that the alleged Prince Andrew link is “just the tip of the iceberg” and that the Chinese state is using the UFWD to “conduct massive operations targeting not just the government and the royal family, but our universities, businesses and institutions too.”
Fellow Conservative China hawk Iain Duncan Smith echoed that line, and warned of extensive Chinese influence in the U.K. H6 was barred from the U.K. on the orders of Conservative then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman, and lost his challenge to that decision.
Speaking to Radio 4 Monday morning, Duncan Smith said: “The reality is that there are many, many more involved in exactly this kind of espionage that’s taking place. The reality for us is very simple — China is a very clear threat.”
Duncan Smith called for the U.K. to get on with implementing its long-delayed Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which was paused when Labour came into power this summer. The new government, seeking a reset of the U.K.’s ties with China, is blaming poor administration by the Tories for the hold-up.
