A lawyer accused of working for the Chinese government by MI5 has lost her legal challenge against the intelligence agency.
The Security Service warned MPs in January 2022 that it believed Christine Lee had engaged in "political interference and activities" for a branch of the Chinese Communist Party, a day after then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised to MPs over the Partygate scandal.
Ms Lee said she believed the interference alert issued about her was for a "political purpose, namely to serve the interests of the Conservative party" and brought legal action, along with her son Daniel Wilkes, against the Security Service.
But in a judgment on Tuesday, three judges at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal unanimously dismissed both claims.
Lord Justice Singh, sitting with Lord Boyd and Judge Rupert Jones, said MI5 had issued the warning for "legitimate reasons".
Ms Lee had donated £500,000 to London MP Barry Gardiner before the warning from security officials in 2022.
Mr Gardiner, who was Labour MP for Brent North at the time, received the donations mainly to cover staffing costs in his office. He also employed her son as his diary manager.
He defended his decision to accept the money, saying she appeared to be “operating as a legitimate person in the UK”.
