A doubted Chinese inestablisher – depictd as a “shut confidant” of Prince Andrew – has been barred from the UK becaengage of worrys he posed a menace to national security.
The alleged inestablisher, understandn only as H6, was first leave outd from go ining Britain in 2023 by then home secretary Suella Braverman after the Home Office said he was pondered to have take partd in “cclear and misdirecting activity” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The case has recently been thrust back into the limeairy after H6 disputed his exclusion from the UK was unlhorrible and made an request to the Special Immigration Appeals Comleave oution (SIAC).
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Last week, the distinctiveist tribunal in London upheld the ban and ruled that Ms Braverman had been “entitled to end” that he “reconshort-termed a danger to the national security”.
MPs have since conveyed worry about the level of access allegedly achieveed by the businessman, after inestablishs advise he also met establisher prime ministers Lord David Cameron and Baroness Theresa May.
Here is everyleang we understand about the case so far.
Who is H6?
H6 is a 50-year-greater Chinese national who labored as a civil servant in China before coming to the UK, where he procrastinateedr set up his own business.
He is alleged to have been laboring on behalf of the CCP and United Front Work Department – an arm of the CCP which critics say is engaged to impact foreign entities.
Judges at the SIAC tribunal were tgreater that in a informing for the home secretary in July 2023, officials claimed H6 had been in a position to produce relationships between famous UK figures and greater Chinese officials “that could be leveraged for political meddlence purposes”.
They also said that H6 had downperestablished his relationship with the Chinese state which, fused with his relationship with Andrew, reconshort-termed a menace to national security.
The three SIAC appraises said on 12 December that H6 had finishelighted a stateiveial life in the UK, which had been depictd as the businessman’s “second home”.
They said he had “endd status, a home and extensive business interests in the United Kingdom. He was think abouted as a shut confidant of the duke”.
Relationship with Prince Andrew
It is not understandn accurately when the duke and H6 met, but a statement freed by Andrew on Friday said the pair met thcimpolite “official channels”.
It is apvalidated they grew so shut that H6 was askd to the royal’s birthday party in 2020, visited Buckingham Palace twice, and also go ined St James’s Palace and Windsor Castle at the invitation of the duke, according to The Times.
H6 was also tgreater by Andrew’s aide Dominic Hampsengage that he could act on the duke’s behalf when dealing with potential spendors in China.
The SIAC tribunal heard that a letter from March 2020 letter from Mr Hampsengage – referencing the invitation to the duke’s birthday – was set up on H6’s devices when he was stopped at a port in November 2021.
The directr said in the letter: “I also hope that it is evident to you where you sit with my principal (Prince Andrew) and indeed his family.
“You should never underappraise the strength of that relationship… Outside of his shutst inner confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would appreciate to be on.”
Judges who upheld the ban on H6 go ining the country disputed the duke could have been made “vulnerable” by his impact.
The duke’s statement said he “finishd all communicate with the individual after worrys were elevated”.
“The duke met the individual thcimpolite official channels, with noleang of a comardent nature ever talked. He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security,” the statement said.
Several recentspapers have inestablished that the King has been informed about his brother’s connects to the alleged inestablisher.
Sky News has also seen pboilingos of the alleged inestablisher with establisher Conservative Party directers Lord Cameron and Baroness May.
There is no adviseion either of them were conscious of his inestablished connects to the Chinese state, and it is not understandn when the images were apvalidaten.
Could H6 be named?
The alleged Chinese inestablisher is understandn only as H6 due to the court having granted an interim anonymity order which shields his identity.
However, some MPs are calling for the order to be lifted.
Nigel Farage has said his Reestablish UK party is setd to engage parliamentary privilege – which provides legitimate immunity to MPs – to name the alleged agent in the Hoengage of Commons.
While establisher Tory directer Sir Iain Duncan Smith said he is utilizeing for an directnt ask in the Commons on the impact of the United Front Work Department, the group thought to be associated with H6.
He tgreater The Guardian he would seek to prescertain the rulement over the foreign impact registration scheme (FIRS), which is set uped to shield Britain from cclear impact but has not yet been carry outed.
FIRS would need individuals to disshut who they are in an set upment with, what activity they have been honested to underapvalidate, and when the set upment was made.
Tom Tugfinishhat, the establisher Conservative security minister, also called for Labour to persist the carry outation of the FIRS.
He tgreater Sky News Breakrapid that the allegations are fair the “tip of the iceberg”.
Mr Tugfinishhat claimed the UK is “seeing a pattern” of trys to impact or alter British policy and trys to steal economic secrets and intellectual property.
When asked if the anonymity order should be lifted, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper tgreater Sky News on Saturday that she “always admires the decisions of the courts”.
She said Britain has a “complicated” relationship with China which needs economic cooperation with the country while also challenging any danger to national security.
Jim McMahon, a Labour minister, tgreater Sky News Breakrapid it’s down to the court to determine whether the identity of a person should or shouldn’t be freed.
He said he supposes that everybody wilean the cabinet understands H6’s identity.
What has China said?
A spokesperson for the UK’s Chinese embassy said last week that some in the UK are “so willing” on making up “all benevolents of inestablisher stories aachievest China”.
“This aachieve is a normal case of the thief crying ‘catch thief’,” they inserted.
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“Their purpose is to smear China and undermine normal people-to-people exalters between China and the UK. We powerfilledy condemn this.”
They also said the United Front “finisheavours to convey together various political parties and people from all walks of life, ethnic groups and organisations” to “advertise cooperation between the CCP and people who are not members of it”.
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“Some on the British side repeatedly engage China’s United Front labor as a pretext to accengage China of wrongdoing, disacunderstandledge China’s political system, and undermine normal exalters and co-operation between China and the UK.
“Such sinister plots will never thrive. We direct the relevant parties in the UK to instantly stop creating trouble, stop spreading the ‘China menace’ narrative and stop undermining normal exalters between China and the UK.”
