Prince Andrew pulls out of Christmas Day plans

While Andrew has not appeared alongside working members of the royal family at official events for some years, he would normally join them for private family gatherings, including the Christmas Day walk to church at Sandringham.

MI5 advised that China should be formally designated as a threat, Tom Tugendhat says. The former security minister and China hawk tells the Commons that when he was in government he had been told the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme could be running by the end of the year, and that MI5 had told him China needed to be in the more serious categorisation.

He says: “I was assured by the same officials who sit in the box advising [Jarvis] that it was ready to go by the end of the year. Clearly, the advice has changed. There’s only one thing in the department that’s changed, and that’s the party leading it. So I can only assume that there’s a change of intent, but I’m delighted that it will be ready to go by the summer. Better late than never.

“The real question, of course, is whether it will be worth having. And the advice from MI5 was very, very clear: if China isn’t in the enhanced tier, it’s not worth having.”

Suella Braverman, a former home secretary who, when in office, banned Yang Tengbo from entering Britain, says that the government must designate China as a threat if it is “really serious” about tackling the issue.

She says: “Given the unprecedented threat posed by China, malicious cyber attacks, transnational repression, Confucius institutes, Chinese police stations and of course human rights abuses of Uighur Muslims … If the government is really serious about tackling the Chinese threat, when will it list China on the enhanced tier?”

Dan Jarvis says that the previous government had failed to implement the foreign influence registration scheme.

Every MP will be contacted by spies trying to gain information for China, Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, warns.

He says: “Chinese infiltration of public organisations is of grave concern, but it’s not just public organisations such as government, it’s also businesses and universities that are being systemically infiltrated.

“MI5 estimate that 20,000 individuals have been approached by Chinese agents who are trying to influence them or forge contacts in some way. It’s likely that at some point, either in the past or in the future, every member of this House will be contacted or attempted to be contacted in one form or another.”

He urged the government to expedite the new foreign influence registration scheme, which is due to be rolled out next year.

Dan Jarvis says that while national security is the primary concern when it comes to China, the UK must also “look for areas where we can co-operate”.

He says: “This government is and will be taking robust action that is required to combat the nature of the threat. On matters relating to China the government does have to weigh a number of considerations.

“Of course whilst national security will always be the primary responsibility and is the thing we take most seriously there is — and would have been for the previous government — a requirement to look for areas where we can co-operate.”

Challenged over the government’s approach to China, Dan Jarvis says that at least Sir Keir Starmer had not taken the Chinese president “to the pub for a pint”.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, questions the wisdom of wanting a closer relationship with China in current circumstances, and says Starmer had been “sycophantic” in a meeting with Xi Jinping.

But Jarvis, referring to the former Conservative prime minister David Cameron taking Xi to a pub during the so-called golden age of relations with Beijing, says: “In terms of the approach to China, I do not agree with his characterisation of the prime minister’s recent meeting, and I would just say very gently to him, at least he did not take him to the pub for a pint.”

Dan Jarvis, the security minister, says that Britain’s response to threats from China is among the “most robust” in the world. He tells the Commons that “where there are individuals who pose a threat to our national security, we are absolutely committed to using the full range of powers available to disrupt them”.

Jarvis says the case of Yang Tengbo, who has been named as the alleged Chinese spy who gained access to Prince Andrew, “does not exist in a vacuum”.

He said: “Alongside the threat from terrorism, we face ongoing efforts by a number of states, including China, Russia and Iran, to harm the UK’s security. Our response is amongst the most robust and sophisticated anywhere in the world.”

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a senior Tory MP who has been sanctioned by Beijing, said that China should be formally designated as a security threat. “All action must take priority,” he said. “Why have we not done it yet?”

He questioned why the security services had allowed Yang Tengbo to get “so close to the royal family” without being exposed. He said that Yang was “not a lone wolf” but one of tens of thousands of Chinese spies attempting to penetrate “every sector of the UK”.

Dan Jarvis, the security minister, said that the government will bring forward the foreign influence agents scheme next summer.

MPs will have chance to refer openly to the case in the Commons from 3.30pm, when the House will hear urgent questions about China.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, has been granted an urgent question on the “extent of United Front Work Department operations in the UK”. It follows revelations that an alleged Chinese agent known as H6 forged links at the heart of the British establishment, including with the Duke of York.

Yang Tengbo said that the proceedings against him were unfair and had been likened to “taking blind shots at a hidden target”.

“On their own fact finding, even the three judges in this case concluded that there was ‘not an abundance of evidence’ against me, their decision was ‘finely balanced’ and there could be an ‘innocent explanation’ for my activities. This has not been reported in the media,” he added.

“The political climate has changed, and unfortunately, I have fallen victim to this. When relations are good, and Chinese investment is sought, I am welcome in the UK. When relations sour, an anti-China stance is taken and I am excluded.”

Yang said that he had made Britain his second home, and added: “I would never do anything to harm the interests of the UK.”

Yang Tengbo said he decided to make a statement to defend himself

Yang Tengbo said in a statement that he has “done nothing wrong or unlawful”.

“Due to the high level of speculation and misreporting in the media and elsewhere, I have asked my legal team to disclose my identity,” he said.

“I have done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded. The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue.”

Yang Tengbo’s lawyer said that his client had been subject to “threats” that he would be named in the Commons using parliamentary privilege.

“In addition, there has been some publication of the identity of my client on social media and threats emanating from various quarters to name my client in public in this jurisdiction through using parliamentary privilege,” Guy Vassall-Adams KC said.

“Having reflected on these matters my client wishes to make a public statement and is applying for last Wednesday’s order to be discharged.”

Yang Tengbo pictured at a Pitch@Palace event with a Grenadier Guard and an unidentified woman

The alleged Chinese spy, 50, who befriended Prince Andrew while creating a web of senior political and business contacts has been unmasked as the businessman Yang Tengbo.

The identity of the former Chinese government official, previously known by the codename H6 and who used the name Christopher Yang, has been an open secret for years. His ban on entering the UK on national security grounds was upheld by the tribunal last week after it was told of his links with the Duke of York.

Yang’s lawyers originally appealed to have his anonymity maintained but on Monday agreed to the order being lifted. The Reform MP Richard Tice had said he would use parliamentary privilege to identify Yang if the courts did not do so.

• Read in full: The Chinese ‘spy’ linked to Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew talking with Yang Tengbo at a Pitch@Palace event at Peking University HSBC Business School, China

An alleged Chinese spy banned from the UK and linked to the Duke of York can now be named as Yang Tengbo, a High Court judge has ruled.

Guy Vassall-Adams KC, for Yang, told the High Court: “There has been an enormous amount of media reporting in relation to this story, and particularly in relation to the relationship between my client, H6, and Prince Andrew, as well as a huge amount of speculation about the identity of my client.”

Guy Vassall-Adams KC, representing the alleged spy, told the High Court: “There has been an enormous amount of media speculation about the identity of my client and in particular his relationship with Prince Andrew.

“There has already been some publication of the identity of my client on social media and threats from various quarters to identify my client using parliamentary privilege. My clients accept there is extremely high public interest in his being identified.”

Prince Andrew at a royal palace with the alleged Chinese spy identified as H6

An alleged Chinese spy who has been banned from Britain on national security grounds entered Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle at the invitation of Prince Andrew.

The Chinese businessman, 50, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was invited into Buckingham Palace twice.

He also attended a function at St James’s Palace and an event at Windsor Castle. On another occasion, the alleged spy was invited as a guest to the Duke of York’s birthday party at Royal Lodge, Andrew’s 30-bedroom home on the Windsor estate.

• Read in full: Businessman was invited to Duke of York’s birthday party

A hearing on the anonymity of an alleged Chinese spy is about to begin at the Royal Courts of Justice, according to court listings.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, said that spies like H6 were just the “tip of the iceberg”.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The fact is there are many more like him (H6) in the UK. There are many more doing the job that he’s been doing, and the fact he was leaving the UK tells you that he realised at some point he was going to get caught.

“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.”

Sir Keir Starmer is likely to resist calls to designate China as a threat to Britain under new national security laws amid concerns about the economic impact that that might have.

The prime minister is facing pressure to place China on a new enhanced list of countries that pose the biggest national security risks to the UK after revelations about the Duke of York’s connections to an alleged Chinese spy.

However, the government fears that such a move might have significant economic and political ramifications.

• Read in full: prime minister faces calls to put China on a list of high-risk countries

As well as being photographed with two former prime ministers — Baroness May of Maidenhead and Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton — H6 travelled with Lord Prescott, the former deputy prime minister who died last month, on a delegation to China in 2010.

The suspected spy was photographed with Brandon Lewis when Lewis was Tory party chairman in 2018. There is no suggestion that Lewis, a former lord high chancellor, has done anything wrong.

Lewis said: “I am unaware of the identity of H6 and have never carried out any business relationship with China in my government role or in a personal capacity. As party chairman, I attended a large number of functions at which there were a variety of guests and if H6 and I were attending the same event this was coincidence only.”

Downing Street would not say whether the prime minister or other ministers had met with an alleged Chinese spy. “I can’t comment on intelligence or security cases like this, it is a live legal case,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.

The Duke of York has been urged by family members to stay away from their annual Christmas lunch, it has been reported.

Sources have suggested that the onus should be on Prince Andrew to keep a low profile, rather than forcing the King to decide whether or not his brother should be banned from showing his face.

It is understood that Andrew will be urged to “recognise his residual duty to the Crown” by withdrawing from any public appearance alongside the family, including the walk to church on Christmas Day and a Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace this week.

• Read in full: Andrew urged to stay out of sight after ‘Chinese spy’ scandal

Prince Andrew at Windsor Castle this morning

KELVIN BRUCE

Last week a court revealed Prince Andrew’s connection to an alleged Chinese spy who has been banned from Britain on the grounds of national security.

The 50-year-old businessman, who has so far been granted anonymity, visited Buckingham Palace twice as Andrew’s guest and attended events at St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle.

Lawyers acting for H6, the alleged Chinese spy linked to Prince Andrew, will shortly ask the court to allow the spy to be named, The Times understands.

It means that the identity of the businessman may be revealed during a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice which begins at 2pm.