A row has broken out between the security services and the Foreign Office over the employment of members of the Chinese Communist Party in diplomatic missions. Intelligence officers are understood to be furious that staff who have sworn allegiance to the CCP have been given posts in embassies and consulates. Under Chinese laws, foreign embassies and consulates in China are required to recruit local staff through state-owned employment agencies which openly advertise posts such as chauffeurs and chefs. Analysis of the leaked database by this newspaper found at least 249 CCP members listed in 2016 were linked to a single agency based in Shanghai. Critics of the Beijing regime under President Xi Jinping say the list of CCP members underlines the scale of China's malign influence across British life.

Source: Daily Mail December 20, 2020 01:03 UTC