AN alleged Chinese spy linked to Prince Andrew can be named as Yang Tengbo after his right to anonymity was revoked by a judge.
Tengbo was known before Monday as H6, though he had been named online in foreign publications.
He is said to have been a “close” confidant of Andrew, the Duke of York, and has been pictured with politicians including David Cameron and Theresa May.
It came just an hour before the matter was set to be discussed by MPs in the Commons, with the UK Government facing questions about the extent of the work of the United Front Work Department, an arm of the Chinese government with which Tengbo is said to be involved.
Arch China hawk Iain Duncan Smith (below), former Tory leader, said the Tengbo case was the “the tip of the iceberg”.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The reality is that there are many, many more involved in exactly this kind of espionage that’s taking place.
“The reality for us is very simple – China is a very clear threat.”
Duncan Smith wants Labour to introduce a foreign influence registration scheme, which was established under the Conservatives but not yet implemented.
Tengbo was excluded from Britain in 2023 by then-home secretary Suella Braverman, with the Home Office concerned he had carried out “covert and deceptive activity” for China.
Judges at a specialist tribunal in London last week ruled Braverman had been “entitled to conclude” that Tengbo “represented a risk to the national security” after he launched an appeal against the decision.
The businessman had brought a case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission after his initial exclusion in 2023 but his appeal was dismissed.
At a hearing in July, the tribunal was told that an adviser to Andrew said he could act on the duke’s behalf when dealing with potential investors in China, and that H6 had been invited to the duke’s birthday party in 2020.
A letter referencing the event from the aide, Dominic Hampshire, was discovered on H6’s devices when he was stopped at a port in November 2021.
The letter also said: “You should never underestimate the strength of that relationship … Outside of his closest internal confidants, you sit at the very top of a tree that many, many people would like to be on.”
Tengbo was later informed that he was believed by UK authorities to be connected to the United Front Work Department, which is tasked with conducting influence campaigns.
Prince Andrew’s office said he ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised.
Labour have been accused of dragging their heels on implementing the foreign influence registration scheme because they were looking for “an excuse not to upset China” by implementing the register of lobbyists.
But Prime Minister Keir Starmer has insisted that Labour had been working on it “from day one in Government, and there will be an update coming shortly”.
