Speaking on the arrest of a research assistant employed by the United Kingdom Parliament over suspicions of spying for China, a senior British official said authorities were looking into the issue "carefully", adding that "democracy is part of the UK's DNA" just like India's.

Addressing a joint press conference with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue meeting, UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt stated, "The UK is one of the oldest democracies in the world and, like India, democracy is a part of our DNA. So, we take very seriously any attempts to interfere with our democratic processes. So, we are looking at this issue carefully."

"There is a Police investigation going on at the moment...Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has raised this issue with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and expressed our very serious concerns," Hunt added.

The arrest was only made public recently. The espionage-accused parliamentary researcher is among the two suspected spies arrested by the London Metropolitan Police in March. According to a report by the Sunday Times, it is understood the researcher had access to several MPs of the ruling Conservative Party.

Following his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the recently concluded New Delhi G20 Leaders' Summit, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he raised his "very strong concerns about any interference" in the British democracy during the meeting.

A Chinese readout from the meeting did not mention the spying allegation but welcomed Britain's expanded practical cooperation with China, adding Li had said that "the two sides should properly handle their differences".

Responding to the arrests, the Chinese embassy in the UK said the allegations were made up and that China firmly opposed them. "The so-called claim that China is suspected of 'stealing British intelligence' is completely fabricated and malicious slander," the embassy said on its website, urging relevant parties to stop anti-China political manipulation and "self-directed political farce".

 

(With inputs from Reuters)