Nigel Farage has threatened to reveal the name of an alleged Chinese spy with links to Prince Andrew.
The leader of Reform UK said he was prepared to use the parliamentary privilege and name the suspected spy in the House of Commons who is said to have formed an ‘unusual degree of trust’ with the Duke of York.
The suspected spy is a businessman who is thought to have acted on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party as he got close to politicians and figures such as Prince Andrew.
It comes after the alleged spy – only known as H6 – was given anonymity in the courts which generally bans him from being named.
But Farage has said the man should be ‘named immediately’ after it emerged the alleged spy is thought to have targeted senior political figures.
He told the Mail on Sunday: ‘The man should be named immediately, otherwise the whole thing smacks of an establishment cover-up.
‘If it’s not resolved in the courts, he should be named in the Commons. It’s clearly in the national interest.’
The figures H6 met include David Cameron at a Downing Street reception and Theresa May at a black-tie event over the last 15 years, according to the Sunday Times.
A July tribunal hearing relating to the matter was told that an adviser to Prince Andrew had said he could act on the duke’s behalf when dealing with potential investors in China and that H6 had been invited to Prince Andrew’s birthday party in 2020.
The suspected spy has been banned from entering the UK since 2023.
When he was stopped at a port in November 2021, a letter referencing the event from Prince Andrew’s aide, Dominic Hampshire, was found on H6’s device.
It said: ‘I also hope that it is clear to you where you sit with my principal and indeed his family.
‘You should never underestimate the strength of that relationship… Outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.’
The businessman is said to have kept pictures of his separate encounters with both Cameron and May in his office. However, it is not clear whether the meetings took place when either was in office, according to the Independent.
He used so-called ‘elite capture’ tactics to target senior figures in the British establishment, it has been claimed.
The alleged spy was barred from entering the UK by the former Home Secretary Suella Braverman. Judges at a tribunal on Thursday said Braverman had been entitled to conclude that he ‘represented a risk to the national security.’
He had tried to appeal his exclusion from the UK to the Special Immigration Appeal Commission (Siac) after he was banned last year, but his appeal was dismissed on Thursday.
The duke’s office released a statement on Friday, saying he has stopped all contact with the businessman.
The statement said: ‘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.’
Now the spy controversy means the Duke of York might not appear at the royal family’s yearly Christmas Day walk from the church, the Mirror reports.
The 64-year-old was set to walk along with the rest of the senior royals to church on Christmas morning.
But now King Charles is said to be ‘truly exasperated’ by his brother’s alleged links to the Chinese spy scandal.
Royal expert Jennie Bond told the outlet: ‘It’s hard to imagine the duke will have the gall to parade himself before the loyal crowds at Christmas.
‘For the sake of the monarchy, he should spend it away from Sandringham, out of the public eye.
‘The monarch’s brother has become a recurring embarrassment to the Royal Family and now he’s involved in a possible threat to national security.’
However, sources have defended Prince Andrew’s role in the alleged spy case, saying the criticism should be directed at Beijing.
A source told The Telegraph that the criticism should be aimed at China if it was confirmed that the alleged agent was ‘on manoeuvres’ for the country’s government.
It is understood that Buckingham Palace may be investigating the suspected spy’s multiple visits to royal residencies, according to the outlet.
Meanwhile, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has said she is supporting her ex-husband Andrew through ‘thick and thin.’
She revealed details of the former couple’s current relationship to The Sunday Times Magazine: ‘I won’t let him down. He supports me as much as I support him. He’s supported me through thick and thin, not just marriage or divorce.’
She described Andre as ‘the bet, a great man with a great heart, and kind,’ adding that she ‘would do it all over again’ after she was ‘totally in utterly in love’ with him when they married.
Along with Farage, other politicians have also weighed in on the situation.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative leader, is reportedly planning to seek a debate in the Commons tomorrow over the businessman’s alleged activities – despite the convention that MPs usually avoid discussing the affairs of the senior members of the royal family.
Sir Iain, a prominent China commentator who has himself been sanctioned by Beijing, said yesterday: ‘Prince Andrew needs to be clear and honest.
‘He has made a mistake, he was in a vulnerable period at the time. But now he needs to be properly open about what happened. There needs to be a full, proper investigation by the security services.
‘Get ready for project kowtow on steroids. The UK Government crawling on their bellies in obedience. The Government doesn’t want to upset China because they’re ‘so desperate’ over the economy.’
The government and David Cameron’s representative have been contacted for a comment.
A spokesman for May said: ‘Baroness May and her husband, Sir Philip, are photographed at numerous events in any given year; as such, she doesn’t remember when or where this particular photograph was taken or the man in question.’
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has said that the UK’s relationship with Beijing is ‘complex’ following the alleged spy links to senior figures.
She told BBC’s Laura Kuenssber today that while the government will take a ‘very strong approach’ to national security, it also needs to ensure ‘economic interaction’ and ‘economic co-operation,’ adding that it is ‘a complex arrangement.’
Dame Angela Eagle, a Home Office minister, said the businessman had thought to pose a threat ‘especially in his relationship with Prince Andrew which is why he was barred from the UK.
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