A suspected Chinese spy, 50-year-old Yang Tengbo, described as a "close confidant" of Prince Andrew, has been banned from the UK over concerns he posed a threat to national security.
According to foreign media, the alleged spy, known as H6, was first banned from entering Britain in 2023 after the Home Office said he was considered to have been involved in "undercover and fraudulent activity" for the Chinese Communist Party. (CCP).
The issue has been thrust back into the spotlight after H6 argued that his ban from entering the UK was unlawful and appealed.
MPs have since expressed concern about the level of access the businessman is said to have gained, with reports suggesting he also met former prime ministers Lord David Cameron and Baroness Theresa May.
Who is H6?
H6 is a 50-year-old Chinese national who worked as a civil servant in China before coming to the UK as a student in 2002.
In Britain, described as his "second home", he set up a business advising UK-based companies on how to operate in China.
He allegedly worked on behalf of the CCP's Labor Department and the United Front - an arm of the CCP that critics say is used to influence foreign entities.
Officials warned the Home Office that he had been in a position to create relationships between prominent UK figures and Chinese officials "which could be used for the purposes of political interference".
According to judges at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, H6 also downplayed his relationship with China, which, combined with his relationship with Prince Andrew, represented a threat to national security.
Royal relationship
It is not known exactly when the Duke and H6 met, but a statement released by Andrew said the pair met through "official channels".
It is believed that they became so close that H6 was invited to the royal family's birthday party in 2020, visited Buckingham Palace twice and also entered St James's Palace and Windsor Castle at his invitation.
It was also said by Andrew's aide Dominic Hampshire that H6 could act on the Duke's behalf when dealing with potential investors in China.
Sky News has also seen pictures of the suspected spy with former Conservative Party leaders Lord Cameron and Baroness May.
There is no evidence that any of them were aware of his reported ties to the Chinese state, and it is not known when the images were taken.
Meanwhile, suspected Chinese spy Yang Tengbo has hit back in a statement after an anonymity order to protect his identity was lifted at the Royal Courts of Justice.
"Due to the high level of speculation and misreporting in the media and elsewhere, I have asked my legal team to release my identity," his statement read.
"I have done nothing wrong or illegal and the concerns raised by the Home Office against me are unfounded," he said.
"The widespread description of me as a 'spy' is completely untrue," claimed Tengbo.
"That is why I applied for a review of the Home Office decision in the first place and why I am seeking leave to appeal the SIAC decision.
"This is also the reason why an order was issued to extend my anonymity until the point of determining the appeal process."
"I have been excluded from seeing most of the evidence that has been used against me in a process that is widely accepted by SIAC practitioners as fundamentally unfair: decisions are made based on secret evidence and closed procedures, which have been described as 'blind shootings' ', on a hidden target".
"In their case, all three judges in this case concluded that there was 'not enough evidence' against me, their decision was a 'balanced penalty' and there could be an 'innocence explanation' for my activities.
"This has not been reported in the media," he said.
"The political climate has changed and unfortunately I fell victim to it. When relations are good and Chinese investment is wanted, I am welcome in the UK. When relations break down, an anti-China stance is taken, and I am excluded. I am a self-made independent entrepreneur and 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 role in bringing hundreds of millions of pounds of investment to the UK. I have 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 UK interests," he said in his statement. (A2 Televizion)
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