Good morning. Espionage is an clearly mysterious enterprise, however there will be fewer higher puzzles within the annals of nationwide safety than the one which has arisen in the previous few days. For those who had been the mighty Chinese language state, and making a listing of British public figures who would possibly maintain helpful intelligence or affect, what would make you set Prince Andrew on it?
I can’t reply that one. However many different questions moreover have arisen because it emerged {that a} businessman and alleged Chinese language spy with hyperlinks to Andrew has been barred from coming into the UK on nationwide safety grounds – and final night time, MPs raised fears that the case exhibits that the UK has been too desperate to strengthen UK-China relations. At present’s publication explains what we all know. Listed below are the headlines.
5 large tales
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Eire | Israel has introduced it can shut its embassy in Eire, citing Dublin’s resolution final week to help a petition on the worldwide court docket of justice accusing Israel of genocide. Irish taoiseach Simon Harris referred to as the transfer “deeply regrettable”.
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Financial system | Fifty economists and coverage specialists have issued a warning to Rachel Reeves that encouraging town to broaden might threaten monetary stability and jeopardise development. The chancellor has claimed that rules imposed after the worldwide monetary disaster have “gone too far”.
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Excessive climate | Not less than a number of hundred persons are feared to have been killed after the worst cyclone in nearly a century ripped by the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte on Saturday. Officers mentioned the ultimate toll can be laborious to determine however could possibly be within the 1000’s.
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Immigration and asylum | Syrian asylum seekers left in limbo after the UK house secretary mentioned the federal government was pausing their claims have referred to as the choice “cruel” and urged officers to renew processing their instances. About 6,500 instances are actually within the system.
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Guardian and Observer charity attraction | Guardian and Observer readers gave £57,000 over the telephones throughout our annual charity attraction telethon for charities supporting the victims of warfare and battle, with the general complete hitting greater than £500,000. You may nonetheless donate right here.
In depth: The duke and the alleged spook
Final week, a tribunal in London gave its resolution on an attraction by a businessman and alleged Chinese language spy, identified solely as H6, towards a choice to exclude him from the UK on nationwide safety grounds.
H6 misplaced – and the judges ruling on the case mentioned that Suella Braverman, the house secretary who made the choice final yr, was “entitled to conclude that the applicant represented a risk to the national security of the United Kingdom”, and that he was “not candid” about his hyperlinks to the Chinese language Communist get together.
Among the many most outstanding particulars of the story are H6’s hyperlinks to Prince Andrew (pictured above with China’s president Xi Jinping in 2018). However over the previous few days, severe questions have additionally been raised in regards to the nationwide safety risk posed by Chinese language political interference, what the UK can do to cease it – and the place the boundaries on the federal government’s willingness to take action lie.
Who’s H6?
H6 is a 50-year-old Chinese language nationwide. He had roles at key UK-China enterprise teams. Beforehand not considered a safety threat, he was stopped on the UK border in November 2021 beneath powers permitting cops to research suspicions of “hostile activity” on behalf of one other state. He surrendered digital units together with his cell phone. That cease was the premise of Braverman’s resolution to exclude him from the UK final yr.
In addition to his relationship with Andrew, it was reported over the weekend that he stored pictures of conferences with David Cameron and Theresa Could on his desk. However each have met giant numbers of individuals at occasions over the course of their political careers, and there’s no public proof that both assembly was greater than a quick photograph alternative, or any suggestion that both knew him personally.
H6 is now the topic of an interim anonymity order. However there have been studies over the weekend that the order could possibly be lifted this week – and in the meantime, some MPs have mentioned that he needs to be named within the Home of Commons beneath parliamentary privilege. Reform chief Nigel Farage mentioned: “If it’s not resolved in the courts, he should be named in the Commons. It’s clearly in the national interest.” Iain Duncan Smith, a outstanding critic of China, is reportedly meaning to desk an pressing query over H6’s actions.
What’s his connection to Prince Andrew?
Particulars of H6’s relationship with the Duke of York emerged in proof taken from the telephone that was seized in 2021. Officers discovered a 2020 letter from a senior adviser to Andrew, Dominic Hampshire, which referred to H6 being invited to his celebration and mentioned: “Outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on”.
Hampshire additionally wrote: “we have wisely navigated our way around former private secretaries and we have found a way to carefully remove those people who we don’t completely trust … we found a way to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor.”
A doable rationale for H6’s method to Andrew was additionally dropped at gentle within the telephone search, in a doc that listed “main talking points” for a name between the 2 males. It mentioned that Andrew was in a “desperate situation and will grab on to anything”.
Andrew, for his half, has now mentioned that nothing untoward occurred. A press release from his workplace revealed on Friday learn: “The Duke of York followed advice from His Majesty’s government and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised. The duke met the individual through official channels with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed. He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.”
What do we all know in regards to the current historical past of Chinese language operations within the UK?
There are rising issues within the UK’s safety companies over Chinese language exercise within the UK. In Could, GCHQ director Anne Keast-Butler mentioned in a speech that China “poses a genuine and increasing cyber risk to the UK”, including that Beijing “has built an advanced set of cyber capabilities and is taking advantage of a growing commercial ecosystem of hacking outfits and data brokers at its disposal”. She mentioned that GCHQ now devotes extra assets to China than some other single mission.
In the meantime in Could, three males within the UK had been charged with aiding the Hong Kong intelligence service, and China’s ambassador was summoned to the Overseas Workplace over allegations of a “recent pattern of behaviour directed by China against the UK”. It referred to cyber-attacks, espionage allegations and the issuing of bounties towards Hong Kong dissidents who fled to the UK. The Chinese language embassy referred to as these claims “groundless and slanderous”.
One suggestion about H6’s alleged actions within the UK is that they shaped a part of a wider CCP technique of “elite capture” – the observe of constructing relationships with senior figures in a goal nation to assist promote China’s agenda.
What does the story reveal in regards to the UK’s relationship with China?
Whereas the UK has been more and more important of China’s alleged conduct lately, maybe probably the most telling facet of the official response to the disclosure of H6’s exclusion from the UK is its ambivalence.
Yesterday, house secretary Yvette Cooper was requested by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg what her message to China was. Quite than an uncompromising warning in regards to the UK’s angle to nationwide safety threats, Cooper mentioned that “we continue to take a very strong approach to our national security,” however added: “Of course, with China we also need to make sure we have that economic interaction, economic cooperation in place as well. So it’s a complex arrangement.”
That may be a reflection of China’s significance as a buying and selling companion. A authorities factsheet launched final month observes that China is the UK’s fifth largest buying and selling companion, with complete commerce value £87.7bn in 2023-24. There was some decline lately because the UK seeks to “de-risk” provide chains as a part of a reorientation in commerce coverage after the warfare in Ukraine – however China stays a big companion within the post-Brexit panorama, and one whose affect is barely more likely to develop.
After the allegations set out by the Overseas Workplace in Could, the Chinese language embassy warned that the UK’s stance risked “jeopardising China-UK relations”. Now, Jessica Elgot studies, there may be more likely to be elevated stress for ministers to set a timeline to revive the Overseas Affect Registration Scheme (FIRS), which might improve checks on lobbyists for international international locations and our bodies and make failing to register punishable by as much as two years in jail.
That scheme was delayed till subsequent yr after Labour got here to energy – and in October, Politico reported that it had been held again as the federal government carried out a “China audit”. In January, as a part of a renewed push for a reset in relations with China, Rachel Reeves is anticipated to go to Beijing.
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Sport
Soccer | Amad Diallo (pictured above being mobbed by teammates) earned a late penalty after which scored the winner as Manchester United surprised Manchester Metropolis to win 2-1. Elsewhere, Crystal Palace beat Brighton 3-1, Chelsea beat Brentford 2-1 and Tottenham beat Southampton 5-0, with Saints supervisor Russell Martin sacked later final night time.
Soccer | The soccer presenter Kelly Cates is known to be leaving Sky Sports activities to be part of a brand new presenting workforce for the BBC’s Match of the Day. Cates will probably be joined in a trio changing Gary Lineker by Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan.
Cricket | Maia Bouchier and Nat Sciver-Brunt each scored centuries to place England on prime after the primary day of England ladies’s take a look at towards South Africa. Within the remaining take a look at of their tour of New Zealand, Ben Stokes suffered what gave the impression to be a recurrence of his hamstring harm as England’s males had been set an unlikely 658 to win, reaching 18-2 by the shut of play.
The entrance pages
The Guardian splashes on the controversy over an alleged Chinese language spy, operating with the headline: “MPs threaten to name Chinese ‘spy’ linked to Prince Andrew.” The Day by day Mail headline is “Why China spy must be named”. The Instances highlights the story too, choosing: “Duke urged to stay out of sight for Christmas”, whereas the Solar coated the identical angle with a pun: “Banned Old Duke of York.”
The Telegraph covers claims that Rachel Reeves’ adjustments to inheritance tax will probably be ineffective, with: “IHT raid ‘will cost more than it makes.’” The Mirror has an unique with the Well being Secretary, Wes Streeting, saying “Wes takes on cosmetic cowboys”. In the meantime the i has: “EU tells Starmer: your Brexit reset is doomed without a better offer on fish and under-30’s”, and within the Monetary Instances it’s: “Flood of stock defections leaves LSE on track for worst year since 2009.”
At present in Focus
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Cartoon of the day | Ella Baron
The Upside
A bit of excellent information to remind you that the world’s not all dangerous
Following the rising variety of biodiversity crises will be overwhelming, however there are nonetheless loads of causes to stay hopeful, as the 5 success tales highlighted right here recommend. Analysis this yr has indicated that conservation motion has been working due to the dedication of organisations, scientists, engaged private-sector companions and 1000’s of dedicated native individuals. There was a dramatic comebacks of uncommon butterfly species, together with the purple emperor (pictured above) and Duke of Burgundy. One other conservation effort has meant that almost 400,000 willows have been planted throughout the nation, utilizing domestically sourced seeds and cuttings – at excessive elevations willows help numerous communities of birds, mammals and bugs.
Enroll right here for a weekly roundup of The Upside, despatched to you each Sunday
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