New Home Office advice brands China ‘a threat’ despite PM cosying up to Beijing
A Government source argued the advice was consistent with ministers’ overarching approach to China
New Home Office guidance for private spies in the UK labels China a “threat” that they should be “worried about” working with, despite Sir Keir Starmer’s attempts to forge closer relations with Beijing.
The advice warns the security industry that they will be breaking the law if they deliberately work for hostile state actors, following the passing of the National Security Act 2023.
It urges private security professionals to carry out due diligence to ensure they are not helping hostile states when they take on work, warning that they could otherwise be breaking national security laws that carry prison sentences of up to 14 years.
In a section headlined “which states should I be worried about?”, the guidance highlights MI5 and MI6 warnings that “the threat predominantly comes from Russia, Iran and China”.
While the guidance goes on to state that the legislation covers any foreign power if their activities are damaging the safety or interests of the UK, China-sceptics suggested the document risked being inconsistent with the Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ recent moves to court Beijing in a bid to boost economic growth.
Labour MP Blair McDougall suggested the guidance showed it was difficult to protect national security while courting closer trade relations with China.
McDougall, who chairs the Stop Uyghur Genocide Charity, told The i Paper: “I’m pleased that this recognises what we all know: China is a serious threat to the security of our nation and the freedom of our people.
“There have to be consequences for China’s hostile actions against our citizens.
“We cannot easily separate our commercial relationships from the duty to protect our nation.”
Luke de Pulford, director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), said the guidance revealed an “incoherent” approach to Beijing.
He said: “As with the last government, the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing on China.
“While the Treasury is begging for investment, intelligence agencies are desperately trying to warn of the threat.
“The incoherence isn’t in the national interest.
“Time for the whole of government to recognise the real and present threat Beijing poses to the UK.”
A Government source however argued that the advice was consistent with ministers’ overarching approach to China – of cooperating where possible, competing where necessary, and challenging where it is imperative to do so.
Launching the guidance this week, Security Minister Dan Jarvis said: “Working in private security is vital, but foreign states are increasingly looking to the industry as a tool to carry out their dirty work – to degrade our security, undermine our values and damage our livelihoods.
“I urge security professionals to take caution to protect the UK and themselves by fully checking and understanding who they are working for. If they don’t, they seriously risk breaking the law and aiding states who seek nothing more than to harm this country and who have no concern for the individuals they employ.
“The threats malign actors pose to our country are expanding, in scale and scope. We must adapt with them, and the private security sector has a pivotal role to play in shutting them out of the UK, to which I thank them.”
Foreign Office Minister Catherine West admitted this month that the UK must balance “very clear” national security concerns with trading with China due to Britain’s “fragile” economy, as Reeves visited the Asian country where she struck deals on trade and investment that would be worth £600m to the UK over the next five years.
The UK’s approach to China is likely to come under the microscope following the inauguration of Donald Trump, who is expected to take a tough approach to the United States’ major economic competitor.