Ordinary UK citizens should be alert to online contact from potential Chinese intelligence operatives, defence minister Luke Pollard has said, following an MI5 espionage alert issued to parliament. The warning, delivered to MPs, Lords and parliamentary staff on Tuesday, revealed that China had attempted to recruit individuals with access to sensitive information through professional networking platforms.
Pollard said this threat is not limited to Westminster and stressed that the entire public must exercise caution as espionage efforts increasingly target online platforms. He told Sky News that as British society becomes more digitally connected, the risk of hostile actors seeking to exploit online communication for intelligence-gathering grows substantially.
MI5 Exposes LinkedIn Spy Profiles Used to Target UK Officials
The alert identified two fraudulent LinkedIn accounts—under the names Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen—posing as headhunters. MI5 said both profiles were linked to Chinese espionage activity and used to approach individuals who may have access to non-public information.
Security minister Dan Jarvis told parliament that the attempts were “covert and calculated” operations directed by the Chinese state to cultivate contacts close to political power.
Beijing rejected the accusations as “groundlessly hyping up” threats, insisting it has “no interest” in intelligence from the UK parliament. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that China “never interferes in other countries’ internal affairs.”
Parliamentary Staff Warn Junior Workers May Be at Risk
One parliamentary staff member contacted by “Shirly Shen” told the BBC he ignored the poorly written message but feared inexperienced staff could be more vulnerable. He said junior workers may mistake such approaches for genuine job opportunities, making them easier targets for foreign intelligence services.
The staffer said such contact attempts were becoming more common and warned that foreign operatives increasingly seek to compromise parliamentarians indirectly by targeting their office teams. “They have realised the way to get to parliamentarians is through their staff … it’s deeply worrying,” he said.
Recent Espionage Case Collapses Over National Security Threshold
The latest alert comes shortly after the collapse of a high-profile UK espionage case involving two British men accused of spying for China. Parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash and his China-based associate Christopher Berry had faced trial under the 1911 Official Secrets Act.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges after the government failed to provide adequate assurance that China constituted a “current threat to national security”—a legal requirement under the historic statute. Officials acknowledged that the law’s wording, referring to aiding an “enemy,” risked escalating diplomatic tensions with Beijing.
Government Faces Questions Over Chinese Technology Use
During a separate interview on LBC, Pollard was pressed on the UK government’s procurement of Chinese technology, including military vehicles that could theoretically contain surveillance components. The defence minister said the government is “looking carefully at what the options are,” acknowledging growing concerns about supply-chain security.
Pollard also emphasised that the UK’s relationship with China is complex, involving both significant risks and economic opportunities. “China poses a number of threats to the UK, but they also present a number of opportunities,” he said, reflecting the government’s increasingly cautious but strategic approach to the superpower.
UK–China relations have deteriorated in recent years amid concerns over cyberattacks, political interference, and technological dependence. MI5 has repeatedly warned that China poses the “greatest long-term state threat” to Britain’s security and prosperity, with thousands of UK-based targets reportedly approached online by suspected Chinese operatives.
The UK has also taken steps to limit Chinese involvement in critical infrastructure—from Huawei’s exclusion from 5G networks to reviews of Chinese-linked acquisitions in sensitive sectors. The latest MI5 alert adds further pressure on the government to strengthen counter-espionage protections across public institutions and the wider workforce.
