The alleged Chinese language spy with hyperlinks to Prince Andrew has stated he did “nothing wrong or unlawful” – as he was named publicly for the primary time.
In a press release, Yang Tengbo added that the “widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue”.
Politics dwell: What we all know thus far about Yang Tengbo
It comes after the Excessive Court docket lifted restrictions on naming the businessman, beforehand described as a “close confidant” of the royal, earlier this afternoon.
Till now he was solely recognized publicly as “H6” after a court docket imposed an anonymity order.
Mr Yang stated he requested his authorized workforce to reveal his id “due to the high level of speculation and misreporting in the media”.
Final week he misplaced an attraction over a call to bar him from getting into the UK on nationwide safety grounds.
Mr Yang stated: “I have done nothing wrong or unlawful and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are ill-founded. The widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue.”
He claimed he was a sufferer of a “political climate” which had seen an increase in tensions between the UK and China.
“When relations are good, and Chinese investment is sought, I am welcome in the UK,” he stated.
Picture:
Yang Tengbo and Theresa Might
“When relations sour, an anti-China stance is taken, and I am excluded.”
Stress had been mounting for Mr Yang to be named after final week’s court docket ruling.
Richard Tice, the deputy chief of Reform UK, had threatened to make use of parliamentary privilege to disclose his id within the Home of Commons this afternoon..
Parliamentary privilege permits MPs to talk freely throughout parliamentary proceedings with out concern of authorized motion.
Man Vassall-Adams KC, for Mr Yang, informed the Excessive Court docket that threats to call his consumer in parliament had been a part of the rationale he determined to use to elevate the anonymity order.
He stated: “There has been an enormous amount of media reporting in relation to this story, and particularly in relation to the relationship between my client, H6, and Prince Andrew, as well as a huge amount of speculation about the identity of my client.”
Lifting his anonymity, Choose Mr Justice Chamberlain stated: “It seems to me that these proceedings now serve no further purpose.”
Yang pictured with former prime ministers
Mr Yang was invited to Prince Andrew’s birthday celebration in 2020, and was informed by royal aide Dominic Hampshire he may act on the duke’s behalf when coping with potential traders in China, a tribunal heard in July this yr.
On Friday, Prince Andrew stated he “ceased all contact” with the Chinese language businessman.
In a press release from his workplace, the Duke of York stated he had minimize ties following “advice” from officers however insisted the pair had by no means mentioned something of a “sensitive nature”.
Picture:
Yang Tengbo and Prince Andrew
Mr Yang had beforehand additionally been pictured alongside former prime ministers – together with David Cameron and Theresa Might.
A spokeswoman for Ms Might stated: “Baroness May and her husband, Sir Philip, are photographed at numerous events in any given year.
“As such, she would not keep in mind when or the place this specific {photograph} was taken or the person in query.”
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Who’s alleged Chinese language spy?
A supply near Lord Cameron stated: “David Cameron was leader of the Conservative Party for over a decade and PM for six years.
“He met hundreds of individuals in that point at tons of of features and occasions. We have no additional details about this particular person.”
China ‘UK’s most prominent security threat’
The anonymity lift came shortly before former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith raised an urgent question in the Commons about the Chinese spying group Mr Yang is said to belong to, the United Front Work Department (UFWD).
Sir Iain said Mr Yang was “not a lone wolf” and one of around 40,000 members of the UFWD.
He called for China to be put on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme (FIRS), which was established under the Conservatives but is yet to be implemented.
The scheme would require those involved in promoting the interests of other countries to declare themselves – but it won’t commence until the summer, home office minister Dan Jarvis confirmed this afternoon.
Read More:Prince Andrew will not join rest of Royal Family for Christmas at Sandringham
Sir Iain said there is “no want for delay”, and that the new Labour government must “settle for now that China is our most distinguished safety menace”.
Mr Jarvis acknowledged the case of Mr Yang “doesn’t exist in a vacuum” and the UK is facing a breadth of “pernicious and complicated” threats from foreign states.
He echoed comments made by Sir Keir Starmer earlier, who defended his approach for a “pragmatic” relationship with Beijing despite saying it posed a “problem”.
Yang assertion ‘not price paper it is written on’
He stated Mr Yang’s assertion is “not worth the paper it was written on” and that hostile states utilizing “long-term penetration” lasting a long time is frequent.
He added: “In fact, there is an intelligence law in China that says that every member of the Communist Party of China has a duty to accept intelligence tasking if the state demands it of them.”
A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs stated: “China has always acted in an upright and honest manner and has never engaged in any deception or interference, so it is not worthwhile to refute this kind of groundless speculation which is based on one’s own judgement.”
