United Kingdom authorities arrested two men, one of whom was described as a "British parliamentary researcher," on suspicion of espionage on behalf of China in March, The Sunday Times reported, citing anonymous sources.
The researcher has supposedly had links to senior lawmakers from the ruling Conservative Party, including Minister of State for Security Tom Tugendhat and Chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee Alicia Kearns.
A senior Whitehall source told the newspaper that the latest development represents a "major escalation by China."