Earth Science News
SINO DAILY
Alleged Chinese spy linked to Prince Andrew 'tip of iceberg'
Alleged Chinese spy linked to Prince Andrew 'tip of iceberg'
by AFP Staff Writers
London (AFP) Dec 16, 2024

A suspected Chinese spy who became a confidant of disgraced royal Prince Andrew is only the "tip of the iceberg" of Beijing's espionage activities in the UK, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith claimed Monday.

Judges on Thursday upheld a ban on the businessman, identified only as H6, from entering the country, saying that the government had been "entitled to conclude that his exclusion was justified and proportionate".

In the ruling, judges assessed H6 was in a position to "generate relationships between senior Chinese officials and prominent UK figures which could be leveraged for political interference purposes by the Chinese State".

"The fact is, there are many more like him in the UK," Duncan Smith, one of the UK's leading China-sceptic voices, told BBC radio on Monday.

"We're dealing with the tip of the iceberg," he added.

Duncan Smith is seeking an urgent question in parliament on Monday about the issue, with reports saying that other MPs may use parliamentary privilege to name the suspected spy.

The Sunday Times reported that H6 had also met former Conservative prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May.

The tribunal heard that Prince Andrew's aide Dominic Hampshire told the suspected spy that he could help in potential dealings with Chinese investors.

"Outside of his (Andrew's) closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on," Hampshire told H6 in a 2020 letter.

H6 also received an invitation to the prince's birthday party.

Former interior minister Suella Braverman banned H6 from entering the country in 2023 after her ministry found he had engaged in "covert and deceptive activity" on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

It is the latest humiliation for a prince whose reputation is already in tatters over his ties to convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein.

A statement from Andrew's office last week said that he had "followed advice" from the government and "ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised".

"The duke met the individual through official channels, with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed," it added.

UK newspapers reported on Monday that Buckingham Palace had told Andrew to withdraw from public view over Christmas.

Related Links
China News from SinoDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SINO DAILY
China's Xi to attend Macau 25th handover anniversary next week: Xinhua
Hong Kong (AFP) Dec 14, 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Macau next week for a gathering marking 25 years since the former Portuguese colony's handover to China, state news agency Xinhua said Saturday. Xi will also attend the inauguration of Macau's incoming administration and conduct an inspection tour during the December 18-20 visit, according to Xinhua. Macau grew into a trading post with a mixed Portuguese-Chinese population and cultural heritage during 442 years of colonial rule before it was handed over to ... read more

SINO DAILY
Macron to visit France's cyclone-battered Mayotte

Ugandan landslide fears force relocation of 5,000 households

Murder rate in Amazon far higher than rest of Brazil: study

India, Pakistan share climate challenges but not solutions

SINO DAILY
Unlocking the potential of collagen modulation for biomaterials in human health

Metal scrap upcycled into high-value alloys with solid phase manufacturing

Stretchable, flexible, recyclable. This plastic is fantastic

Speaking crystal AI predicts atomic arrangements to aid material discovery

SINO DAILY
New study highlights critical decline in shark and ray populations since 1970

Six rare giant catfish surface in Cambodia

Kyrgyzstan warns power supply at risk as demand hits record

US starts relocating Marines from Okinawa; US navy to make port call in Cambodia

SINO DAILY
One of the largest glacial floods ever documented observed in Greenland

Will the Ross Ice Shelf melt

The Bering Bog Bridge

Seals use icebergs as essential platforms in glacier ecosystems

SINO DAILY
Agricultural land at river confluences reduces flood risks

Gene editing and plant domestication vital to safeguard global food security

Neem seed extract improves effectiveness of pesticide

Brazil's beef industry: key to EU-Mercosur trade deal

SINO DAILY
Bodies seen in Vanuatu capital after major quake

The economic risks of tsunamis on global trade

Climate change intensified back-to-back Philippines storms: study

Spain royals join memorial mass for flood victims

SINO DAILY
Mali army says captured Islamic State group figure

BBC vows to keep up reporting after Niger suspends radio

Niger junta suspends BBC for three months

HRW condemns 'atrocities' against Mali civilians since UN withdrawal

SINO DAILY
Earliest ritual space in southwest asia discovered in Galilee cave

Traces of 10000-year-old rice beer unearthed at neolithic site in China

US passes defense bill banning gender care for minors; UK to compensate LGBTQ veterans sacked

Mammoths were central to ancient American diets says new study

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.