Chinese ‘spy’ live updates: Agent linked to Prince Andrew named as MP warns Yang Tengbo ‘was not a lone wolf’
A judge has lifted an anonymity order for alleged Chinese spy Yang Tengbo who was linked to Prince Andrew
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Your support makes all the difference.An alleged Chinese spy banned from the UK and linked to the Duke of York can now be named as Yang Tengbo, a High Court judge has ruled.
The 50-year-old director of a Chinese investment consultancy firm was barred from the UK in 2023 after it was deemed he would likely threaten national security.
A High Court judge has now lifted an anonymity order so he can now be identified.
The suspect is said to have become a “close” confidant of the Duke of York and has also been pictured with senior politicians including Lord David Cameron and Baroness Theresa May.
Former Conservative leader Sir Ian Duncan Smit told the House of Commons Tengbo “was not a lone wolf”.
“He was one of some 40,000 members of the United Works Department, which the intelligence security committee report last year said and I quote ‘are known to government, had penetrated every sector of the UK economy, spying, stealing intellectual property, influencing and shaping our institutions,” he said.
Security minister Dan Jarvis said the government will not hesitate to use “every tool at our disposal” to keep the UK safe.
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Pictured: Yang Tengbo and Prince Andrew
Watch: Alleged spy Yang Tengbo appears on Chinese state TV alongside portraits of British PMs
Yang Tengbo’s consultancy firm helped broker Prince Andrews’ former school expansion into China
Top British boarding school Gordonstoun – where King Charles, Prince Andrew and Prince Phillip were educated – signed a deal with the alleged Chinese spy’s firm to open campuses in China.
Gordonstoun entered a partnership with the Hampton Group, a consultancy firm run by Yang Tengbo, to open up to five schools in China and Hong Kong.
A statement issued by the school in 2019 said: “In an important moment in Gordonstoun’s history, the first Gordonstoun school in China which is expected to open in 2022 has been announced. The location of the first school will be announced soon and will be chosen to enable access to green spaces and the sea both key features of a Gordonstoun education.
“This is part of a long-term multi-school agreement with Hampton Group, a specialist in fostering closer bonds between the UK and China.”
It added: “In the Hampton Group, we feel that we have found the right partner to help us introduce the unique Gordonstoun approach to China. Their commitment to character development in education shone through from the first meeting and we have been encouraged by all we have seen and heard from them in the intervening months.”
The Chinese school was initially earmarked to open in 2022, but the project was stalled due to the pandemic.
The Hampton Group, a British company founded by Yang Tengbo, provides consulting and events services to British and Chinese companies. Tengbo is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the UK business, the company said.
What happens next?
We are shortly expecting former Conservative leader Ian Duncan Smith to ask an urgent question in the House of Commons on China's influence in the wake of the alleged spy scandal.
The question reads “to ask the Home Secretary if she will make a statement on the extent of United Front Work Department operations within the UK”.
Our political editor David Maddox will be watching and providing updates right here.
British Company founded by Yang Tengbo issues statement
The Hampton Group, a British company founded by Yang Tengbo, has issued a statement following the high court ruling.
The statement read: "Hampton Group is a British company employing a small number of British and Chinese nationals with the right to work in the UK. The company operates to high standards of governance and compliance according to international best practices. We pay tax in the UK and are proud to have made a positive impact on the UK economy through our work.
"Neither Hampton Group or any of its staff or associates have ever been involved in any covert intelligence gathering on behalf of the Chinese Government, or any other state. Hampton Group in the UK will continue to support its clients, helping them to achieve their commercial goals."
The Hampton Group provides consulting and events services to British and Chinese companies. Tengbo is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the UK business, the company said.
Farage claims pressure from Reform Uk prompted judges ruliing
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has claimed victory after the alleged Chinese spy was named.
He wrote on X: “I am pleased that pressure by Reform over the last 48 hours has now led to this man being named. The public deserve to know.”
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Yang Tengbo statement in full: Suspected Chinese spy breaks silence after being named at heart of scandal
Suspected Chinese spy breaks silence after being named at heart of scandal
Yang Tengbo, who can now be named after a ruling at the Royal Courts of Justice, said he has ‘done nothing wrong or unlawful’
Inside the court room as alleged Chinese spy is named
In a short court hearing that lasted less than 30 minutes, a judge ruled that an order preventing the identity of businessman Yang Tengbo from being reported should be lifted.
Previously only known as H6, Mr Tengbo is facing allegations of being a Chinese spy who had ingratiated himself with senior Establishment figures, including Prince Andrew.
Given that he has been banned from entering the UK, the only people present at the hearing were his legal team, headed by Guy Vassall-Adams KC, a barrister for the Home Office and another lawyer for the media.
Around 15 journalists from a number of different publications were also present, after the identity of Tengbo and his relationship to the Duke of York dominated headlines over the weekend.
Yang Tengbo issues statement denying spying allegations
Yang Tengbo, the alleged Chinese spy banned from the UK and linked to the Duke of York, said he has “done nothing wrong or unlawful”, adding in a statement that the “widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue”.
“Due to the high level of speculation and misreporting in the media and elsewhere, I have asked my legal team to disclose my identity,” the statement said.
“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.
“This is why I applied for a review of the Home Office decision in the first place, and why I am seeking permission to appeal the SIAC decision. It is also why an order extending my anonymity up to the point of determination of the appeal process was granted.
“I have been excluded from seeing most of the evidence that was used against me under a process which is widely acknowledged by SIAC practitioners as inherently unfair: decisions are made based on secret evidence and closed proceedings, which has been described as “taking blind shots at a hidden target”.
“On their own fact finding, even the three judges in this case concluded that there was ‘not an abundance of evidence’ against me, their decision was ‘finely balanced’, and there could be an ‘innocent explanation’ for my activities. This has not been reported in the media.
“The political climate has changed, and unfortunately, I have fallen victim to this. When relations are good, and Chinese investment is sought, I am welcome in the UK. When relations sour, an anti-China stance is taken, and I am excluded.
“I am an independent self-made entrepreneur and I have always aimed to foster partnerships and build bridges between East and West. I have dedicated my professional life in the UK to building links between British and Chinese businesses. My activities have played a part in bringing hundreds of millions of pounds of investment into the UK.
“I built my private life in the UK over two decades and love the country as my second home. I would never do anything to harm the interests of the UK.”
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