China says reports it had spy in UK parliament ‘malicious slander’

Police have confirmed a man in his twenties was arrested in March and bailed until next month.

China has lashed out at the United Kingdom, saying reports that a UK parliamentary researcher had been arrested on suspicion of spying for China were “malicious slander”.

The UK’s Sunday Times reported that the 28-year-old researcher, who had spent time teaching in China after graduating from university, had been arrested in March.

He was employed by Alicia Kearns, a ruling Conservative party MP who chairs the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, the paper said. The suspected spy has also been linked to Security Minister Tom Tugendhat who has been critical of Beijing and is the founder of the China Research Group, which brings together Conservative MPs looking for “fresh thinking” on China.

A number of UK MPs, including Tugendhat, have been sanctioned by Beijing.

The UK’s Metropolitan Police confirmed over the weekend that two men had been arrested – a man in his 20s on suspicion of spying and a man in his 30s on suspicion of offences under the Official Secrets Act.

Both were arrested in March and bailed until October, they added.