MPs have been warned that China-linked agents are using LinkedIn and professional headhunters to target people working in parliament, triggering the most serious espionage alert issued to Westminster this year.
Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Lords speaker Lord McFall circulated an MI5 warning on Tuesday, informing parliamentarians that Chinese state operatives were “relentless” in their attempts to interfere in democratic processes and were actively reaching out to individuals in Westminster to gather information and cultivate long-term relationships.
According to The Times, two recruitment consultants have been approaching MPs’ staff on LinkedIn “at scale” on behalf of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS).
MI5 said the pair were fronts for Chinese intelligence services and warned that other profiles on the site may also be fake or compromised.
Lindsay told MPs that Beijing’s objective was to “collect information and lay the groundwork for long-term relationships” using networking platforms, recruiters and consultants acting covertly.
Security minister Jarvis said the government was pushing to introduce new powers to counter foreign interference in elections. He added that all think tanks and economists working around Westminster should be concerned by Chinese espionage efforts.
“It is not just parliamentarians who should be concerned by this. Parliamentary staff, economists, think tank employees, geopolitical consultants and government officials have all been targeted for their networks and access to politicians.
“This activity involves a covert and calculated attempt by a foreign power to interfere with our sovereign affairs in favour of its own interests, and this government will not tolerate it.”
China spy prosecution escalates
The warning lands in the midst of a broader row over the UK’s handling of threats from Beijing, following the collapse of a high-profile prosecution last month.
The Crown Prosecution Service dropped charges against two men accused of spying for China after prosecutors were unable to secure government confirmation that Beijing constitutes a national security threat, a legal threshold required for conviction.
The collapse has triggered political fallout, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accusing the government of “sucking up to Beijing”, a claim ministers deny. Keir Starmer has said he will publish the witness statements in full.
The dispute follows escalating warnings from Britain’s intelligence community.
MI5 director general Sir Ken McCallum has repeatedly described Chinese activity as taking place on an “epic scale”, with more than 20,000 individuals in the UK approached by suspected Chinese operatives, often via LinkedIn.
He has cautioned that China’s strategy centres on industrial espionage, targeting businesses in AI, advanced research and cutting-edge technologies.
Despite this, the UK has struggled to define Beijing formally as a threat.
Previous government statements have described China’s global ambition to become a technological and economic superpower as posing a “national security threat”, yet ministers remain wary of damaging economic ties.
The latest MI5 alert suggests that the espionage risk is widening, not receding.
For Westminster employees now advised to treat LinkedIn with the same caution as a cold call from a hostile intelligence service, it seems that China’s outreach is targeted, systematic, and ongoing.