(AFP) – A suspected Chinese spy who became a confidant of disgraced Prince Andrew is just the “tip of the iceberg” of Beijing's spying operations in the UK, says former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan.・Mr. Smith made the claim on Monday.
The judges upheld the entry ban on the businessman, identified only as H6, on Thursday, saying the government was “entitled to conclude that his exclusion was justified and proportionate.”
In their judgment, the judges assessed that H6 was in a position to “create relationships between Chinese government officials and prominent British figures, which could potentially be used by the Chinese state for purposes of political interference”.
Duncan Smith, one of Britain's leading spokesmen for China skeptics, told BBC radio on Monday: “The fact is there are a lot of people like him in Britain.”
“We are only dealing with the tip of the iceberg,” he added.
Duncan Smith called for an urgent parliamentary inquiry into the matter on Monday, and reports suggest other MPs may also use parliamentary privilege to release the name of the suspected spy.
The Sunday Times reported that H6 also held talks with former Conservative Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May.
The court heard that Prince Andrew's close aide Dominic Hampshire told the suspected spy that he could help him with a potential deal with a Chinese investor.
“Aside from his (Andrew’s) closest inner circle, you are sitting at the top of a tree that many people would like to climb into,” Hampshire told H6 in a 2020 letter.
H6 also received an invitation to the prince's birthday party.
Former Interior Minister Suela Braverman announced that H6 was a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2023 after her department found that he had engaged in “covert and deceptive activities” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was banned from entering the country.
It's the latest humiliation for the prince, whose reputation has already been tarnished by his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr Andrew's office said in a statement last week that he had “followed advice” from the government and “ceased all contact with the individual as concerns arose”.
“The duke met with this person through official channels, but nothing sensitive was discussed,” it added.
British newspapers reported on Monday that Buckingham Palace had instructed Andrew to withdraw from public life over Christmas.
