There is fury the UK has not done more to deter Chinese interference in the UK (Image: PA)
Labour is accused of “appeasing” China by failing to force groups working to influence British politics on behalf of Beijing to publicly register their activities. There is a legal requirement to sign a register if a “foreign power is directing you to influence UK politics”. But not a single group has admitted working for China under the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS).
Former foreign minister Alicia Kearns believes this is because the Labour Government is refusing to “enforce the law”. She accuses ministers of taking a “soft touch on China”. Ms Kearns is an ardent opponent of Chinese espionage activity and subversion in the UK. There was outcry last year when the trial collapsed of two men – including a former aide of Ms Kearns – accused of spying for China.
The men denied spying but she is adamant that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is active in the UK and insists the “threat from China is very real and it is growing”. She blasted “Labour’s stubborn appeasement”, claiming it ignores the “evidence, and shamefully, the victims of the CCP’s long and cruel reach”.
The former chair of the Foreign Affairs committee said: “[We] have all seen the brazen way the CCP places bounties on Hong Kongers’ heads, suppresses free speech in our universities, launches cyber-attacks on infrastructure and services and steals masses of intellectual property from British businesses.”
The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme has seen groups declare activity on behalf of the likes of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey and Taiwan but not China. Registration is compulsory for any “entity controlled by a foreign power and doing activities in the UK”.
Ms Kearns said: “FIRS can still play a vital role in protecting our nation against Chinese espionage and influence campaigns, but it needs the Government to enforce the law. To do their job. Until that time, the message from Labour is loud and clear. You can undermine our laws, target our people and institutions, enforce authoritarianism on Britain’s shores – and we won’t lift a finger to stop you.”
Alicia Kearns wants tougher action on China to stop spying and stop subversion (Image: -)
She is in no doubt about China’s efforts to influence the UK, saying: “The Chinese Communist Party does not respect borders. It does not respect our laws.
“It will take any opportunity it can to promote its own authoritarian worldview, and it does not tolerate dissent. Beijing sees freedoms we consider sacred as threats to the one guiding principle of Xi Jinping thought – the party first, always, and forever.”
Ms Kearns added: “The Chinese Communist Party is unique in the sheer resources behind its espionage and influence networks. China’s Ministry of State Security employs 800,000 people, complemented by 22 intelligence agencies and the sprawling United Front Work Department network, which promotes the party’s agenda globally. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China concluded this year that China operates a staggering 75 covert influence outposts across Britain.”
Condemning the failure to register China-linked activity, she said: “When we designed the National Security Act, we built in serious consequences for non-compliance, up to two years’ imprisonment and unlimited fines for failing to register on the political influence tier. We understood the system would not work without enforcement, and so it has proved. “No one has registered: a direct consequence of Labour’s evident appeasement and unwillingness to stand up for our security.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The first duty of government is to protect our national security. That is why we’ve brought forward robust measures to defend our country from state-backed threats, including fast-tracking powers to designate bodies engaged in foreign power threat activity. FIRS is kept under continuous review. We will take whatever action is necessary to protect the UK.”