Tory parliamentary expert on China accused of spying for Beijing at the heart of British democracy says that he is innocent.
The individual denied being a “Chinese spy” in a statement posted through his lawyers, saying he had spent his career trying to “educate others” about the “threats presented by the Chinese Communist Party.”
The researcher, who had connections with prominent Conservatives such as security minister Tom Tugendhat and foreign affairs committee chair Alicia Kearns, was arrested in March but his whereabouts were unknown until Saturday.
Rishi Sunak confronted Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 meeting in India on Sunday over what he called “unacceptable” interference in democracy as a result of his imprisonment under the Official Secrets Act. Tory MPs sanctioned by Beijing have also expressed outrage at the arrest.
Birnberg Peirce, the man in his twenties, said in a statement provided by his lawyers, “I feel forced to respond to the media accusations that I am a ‘Chinese spy’. It is wrong that I should be obliged to make any form of public comment on the misreporting that has taken place.
“To do what has been claimed against me in extravagant news reporting would be against everything I stand for.”
The former private schoolboy was arrested along with another man by officers on 13 March, on suspicion of spying for Beijing, it was revealed by the Sunday Times last week. Police said one of the men, in his 30s, was detained in Oxfordshire, while the other, in his 20s, was arrested in Edinburgh.
Both were detained on suspicion of violating Section 1 of the Official Secrets Act of 1911, which punishes actions that are “prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state.”
The researcher, thought to be the son of a GP and a sports star at his elite school, had previously worked for a member of parliament’s foreign affairs committee and in parliament for several years, but is believed to have previously worked in China.
He is reportedly a “skilled networker” rubbing shoulders with ministers, holding regular drinks events and using a dating app, including attempting to organise a date with a political journalist from The Sun.
Furious Tory MPs – particularly those sanctioned by China – have now hit out at security services for not disclosing the arrest, with Iain Duncan Smith claiming to The Times: “It’s a remarkably dangerous situation.
“This is a guy who allegedly spies on behalf of the Chinese government in the place where decisions are made and sensitive information is transferred.”
Another sanctioned MP told the paper they were “in a complete state of shock”, while a third said: “We didn’t know anything until we read it in the paper. I feel incredibly let down.”
Sir Keir Starmer put pressure on Mr Sunak to divulge what he knew about the accused spy at the time.
“The very big question now for the Prime Minister is whether this was raised when these arrests took place back in March, or has it only been raised now that it’s come into the public domain,” the Labour leader said during a visit to a school in Dagenham, east London.
“I believe that is the central question that the Prime Minister must address today.”
Sir Keir refused to label China a threat to national security, instead describing the country as a “strategic challenge.”