A British parliamentary researcher with links to several senior Conservative MPs is one of two people who were arrested under the Official Secrets Act.
The man, who is in his 20s, specialised in international policy with reports claiming he was spying for China.
He was arrested in March alongside another man in his 30s “on suspicion of offences under section one of the Official Secrets Act 1911”, said police.
"A man in his 30s was arrested at an address in Oxfordshire and a man in his 20s was arrested at an address in Edinburgh,” a statement from the Metropolitan Police said.
"Searches were also carried out at both the residential properties, as well as at a third address in east London."
Both men have been released on police bail until early October.
The man in his 20s lived in China for a period and worked with Tom Tugendhat before he became security minister, The Sunday Times reported.
The report also said he worked with foreign affairs committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns, who told the BBC: "While I recognise the public interest, we all have a duty to ensure any work of the authorities is not jeopardised."
Major escalation
A senior Whitehall source told The Times: “This is a major escalation by China. We have never seen anything like this before.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is said to have raised the issue with Li Qiang, the prime minister of China, at the G20 summit.
Last year, MI5, Britain’s spy agency, warned that a suspected Chinese government agent had been operating in the UK Parliament trying to destabilise the democratic system and “subvert the processes”.
In a letter sent to MPs, House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, warned Christine Lee, a British-Chinese lawyer had "engaged in political interference activities on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party, engaging with members here at Parliament".
She denies the claim and is suing MI5.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
DUBAI CARNIVAL RESULTS
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Winner Dubai Future, Harry Bentley (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
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Winner Dubai Love, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
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Winner: Equilateral, James Doyle, Charles Hills.
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Winner Laser Show, Kevin Stott, Saeed bin Suroor.
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Winner Glorious Journey, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
