CHINA plants pretty young women at public meetings MPs attend to try to glean secrets from them, it is claimed.
A former Labour minister said he suspected honeytraps were sent to gatherings he went to.
He said: “I noticed very attractive young Chinese women sat in the front row asking probing questions. They’d then invite you for a drink or dinner. I always said ‘No’.”
It comes amid claims China’s Communist Party, headed by President Xi Jinping, has carried out large-scale spying operations on the UK for years.
Writing in today’s The Sun on Sunday, Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, a former security minister, claimed theft of patient records by China had delayed operations and “no doubt cost lives”.
He said: “They’ve stolen jobs from across our country . . . ideas and technology in energy and agriculture worth billions.”
Former Tory Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “China is a clear threat to the UK.
“They will not hesitate to harvest information from a military, industrial or security background on an industrial scale.”
As the China “spies” scandal continues, he accused Labour of “being weak” towards Beijing.
The trial of two Brit alleged agents collapsed after the government failed to provide enough evidence to show China was a national security threat.
PM Sir Keir Starmer has said he wanted to see the prosecution go ahead.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused him of “being weak in the face of espionage”.
