MI5 potentially raised a Chinese-related concern in an attempt to divert attention from Partygate issues, a tribunal reveals.
In the warning issued in January 2022, MI5 claimed that Christine Ching Kui Lee had been working secretly in collaboration, on behalf of China's ruling Communist Party, and was suspected of being involved in interference activities in the UK's politics.
This alert was issued a day after former Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued an apology in the House of Commons for the Partygate scandal. Johnson's term ended in 2022 when it was discovered that numerous social gatherings occurred under his watch, some of which he himself attended, at a time when the British citizens were living under strict COVID-19 rules.
During a hearing on Monday at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in London, it was reported that Barry Gardiner, a former lawmaker from the opposition Labour Party, who received more than £500,000 (over $600,000) from Lee between 2014 and 2020, texted that he heard the MI5 alert was issued to divert attention from Johnson's Partygate scandal. However, no specific individuals were mentioned as making this suggestion, and no evidence was presented during Monday's hearing to back the allegations. The hearing will continue on Tuesday.
CNN attempted to reach Gardiner's office for a comment but did not receive an immediate response.
A portion of a text from Gardiner, read out during the hearing, stated, "I had never believed that the Security Services would be overtly party political in that way [...] What has also been suggested to me is that the Security Services may have wished to 'pick a fight' or to 'detract attention' from something else and that we were simply collateral damage."
CNN also reached out to the UK's Home Office and Johnson's office for comment.
The MI5 alert in question also alleged that Lee had been providing financial donations to political parties, Parliamentarians, aspiring Parliamentarians, and individuals seeking political office in the UK, including donations on behalf of foreign nationals.
Lee denies the allegations and has taken legal action against the Security Service with her son, Daniel Wilkes, who lost his job with Gardiner following the alert, arguing that the alert was unlawful and violated their human rights.
Gardiner was a Labour MP from 1997 to 2024. He was the chairman of the Chinese in Britain All-Party Parliamentary Group, on which Lee was a member.
At the time, it was not illegal for Lee to make the donations as the UK did not have a foreign agents registration act. It is also not illegal for a British citizen or foreign national working in the UK to be affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. Lee is listed as a British national in the UK's corporate registry. The UK has since introduced a foreign agents registration act, which is expected to come into effect later this year.
In a statement to CNN in 2022, Gardiner said he had not personally gained from Lee's donations in any way, adding that the money had been properly reported and its source verified.
Andrew Raine from CNN contributed to this report.
Read also:
The MI5 allegations against Christine Ching Kui Lee cited her interference activities in UK politics and financial donations to political figures, potentially influencing the political landscape in Europe.
The ongoing dispute between Lee and the UK's Security Service raises questions about the role of foreign nations in influencing domestic politics, which is a concern not only for the UK but for the entire world.
