Former British Secret Intelligence Service intelligence officer, Christopher David Steele has accused China and Chinese tech firm Huawei of running a “covert campaign” to target MPs and turn them into “useful idiots”.
The report China’s Elite Capture was financed by a US film producer Andrew Duncan who hired Christopher Steele and his company Orbis Business Intelligence to help with the report.
Mr Steele is a former senior MI6 intelligence officer who ran its Russia desk, and the author of the dossier on Donald Trump that alleged links to Russia and claimed the existence of a compromising sex tape in Moscow’s possession.
President Donald J. Trump has always denied these allegations.
The report is said to allege that fake radio stations, based abroad, were set up and senior figures invited on to panel discussions and interviews with the aim of encouraging them to support Huawei and even join its board.
It is also alleged social media was used to try to change people’s opinions.
The dossier names several prominent individuals it claimed had been targeted as part of the pro-Huawei campaign, saying the aim had been to make them China’s “useful idiots”.
Chinese tech firm Huawei has denied the claims, saying it “refuted these unfounded allegations” which had “no basis in fact”.
Sources from the company claim they believed the firm was the victim of a US propaganda campaign to keep it out of the 5G network being built in Britain.
Among those named are former Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston, who previously chaired the powerful Commons liaison committee.
She told The Telegraph that she has no knowledge of any covert campaign to turn MPs into “useful idiots”.
Ms Wollaston claimed the only contact with Huawei she could recall was an offer made via an intermediary to sponsor an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the select committee’s system.
She claims top have rejected this offer, Ms Wollaston said: “If they tried to influence me, they didn’t get very far.”
Lord Clement-Jones, a Liberal Democrat peer, another who is on the list told The Guardian: “My connection to the company is well known. They don’t have to have fake radio shows to reach me as far as I’m concerned. It’s all very baffling. It’s all a fantasy. We are not putty in the hand of manipulators.”
It was reported The Sun that Mr Steele and Orbis have contributed less than “ten per cent” to the report with sources close to Mr Steele insisting “it isn’t our report or our work” but that Chinese experts had worked on it.
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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