The British domestic intelligence service MI5 issued an unusual public warning to the members of parliament, alerting them to the fact that they had become preferred targets of Russian and Chinese spies.
In a speech in London, the Director General of MI5, Sir Ken McCallum, indicated that actors linked to Russia and China were actively seeking to influence, manipulate or compromise British politicians in order to obtain sensitive information and influence government decisions.
"We are seeing a clear and coordinated increase in espionage activities against the UK," McCallum said, adding that these operations targeted not only public institutions, but also technology companies, universities and strategic research communities.
The MI5 chief urged MPs to be extra vigilant about foreign approaches disguised as academic collaborations, business partnerships, or consulting opportunities. "Modern spies don't wear raincoats and hats; they often operate behind legitimate LinkedIn profiles and business cards," he stressed.
The UK recently tightened its national security legislation, criminalizing undeclared collaboration with foreign powersThis measure aims in particular to counter attempts at interference by Russia and China, accused of carrying out large-scale cyberespionage and disinformation campaigns.
MI5's warning comes amid growing tensions between London, Moscow and Beijing, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and technological rivalry around artificial intelligence and semiconductors.
According to McCallum, espionage threats today are "as serious as they were during the Cold War," but now take more sophisticated digital and economic forms.
