On October 13, 2025, the UK domestic security intelligence agency Military Intelligence, Section 5 (MI5) issued a new public guidance warning British politicians and their staff that they are becoming targets of espionage conducted by China, Russia, and Iran. MI5 highlighted that the trilateral aim of China, Russia, and Iran is to engage in “long-term strategic foreign interference and espionage activities” with the aim of advancing their own interests and undermining the UK’s democratic system.
The guidance by MI5 outlined specific methods that criminals may employ for infiltration and recruitment and urged politicians to remain vigilant. Foreign intelligence officers often disguise themselves as diplomats, journalists, scholars, or lobbyists, potentially coercing targets into acting as “proxies” unknowingly or under duress.
MI5 urged all politicians to “monitor unusual social interactions,” conduct due diligence on new contacts, and stressed, “if something seems off, report it to your security team immediately.”
Espionage and interference activities often involve deception and/or coercion. MI5 listed several key ways in which this can occur:
Manipulating targets into sharing information through seemingly casual conversations or requesting “non-public” or “internal” information. Criminals may even intentionally provide false information to deceive targets into making corrections.
Establishing long-term, deep relationships to collect information, recruit or subtly influence targets to adopt specific stances.
Blackmail is one of the more intense forms of recruitment and coercion. Blackmail material may stem from information stolen in cyberattacks or criminals putting targets in compromising situations.
Criminals forge identities and intend to establish connections on online social or professional platforms such as LinkedIn, posing as recruiters or talent agents to obtain information or recruit targets.
Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, revealed that there were over 20,000 cases involving national-level criminals disguising contact on professional social networks, aiming to obtain sensitive information.
Criminals attempt to influence targets’ decisions or policy statements by utilizing financial donations. They may engage in illegal financing through targets. Funds could come from foreign criminals disguised as British citizens or indirectly donated to charities associated with the target.
Highly personalized spear-phishing attacks are used to deceive specific individuals into disclosing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links.
In March 2024, the UK and its allies confirmed that a Chinese state-affiliated organization initiated malicious cyber operations against democratic institutions and lawmakers, including attacking the elections commission.
Another instance involved Russian cyber hackers carrying out cyberattacks before the 2019 elections and leaking sensitive UK-US trade documents in an attempt to sway political discourse.
The spreading of false or misleading content to influence public debate. By combining stolen personal data from cyberattacks with false information, seemingly authentic fake content, including deepfake phone or prank calls, can be generated.
The warning comes amid a controversial case involving Chinese espionage being dropped last week, leading to scrutiny of Keir Starmer’s government’s handling of national security issues. Security Minister Dan Jarvis clarified in Parliament that the new guidance is part of the government’s measures, vehemently denying that the government deliberately obstructed the prosecution charges to protect diplomatic relations with Beijing.
The guidance highlighted that individuals are more susceptible to targeting when traveling abroad. Foreign intelligence agencies will attempt to obtain work-related data, personal belongings, CCTV and telecommunications data from targets, which may be used for information gathering, exerting influence, or coercion.
Director General McCallum concluded, “Every individual reading this guidance cares deeply about their role in British democracy. Please take action today to protect it – and to protect yourselves.”
(This article was adapted from a Bloomberg report)