British police have caught a suspected Chinese spy who worked for the British Parliament’s research service and had access to influential politicians. As the Sunday Times first reported, another man was also arrested in connection with the case. Scotland Yard confirmed both arrests.

According to the newspaper, the research assistant was a Brit who had lived and worked in China. He is said to have influenced British China policy for years.

The arrests took place in Oxfordshire and Edinburgh in March. The two men were released on bail and will face court in October on espionage charges, the Metropolitan Police said.

Ex-Tory party leader Smith: England is “deeply infiltrated by the Chinese”

Former Tory leader Ian Duncan Smith, known for his critical stance on China, told Times Radio that the country was “deeply infiltrated by the Chinese.” He called for security checks in parliament to be tightened and the government’s China policy to be reconsidered.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expressed “significant concerns about Chinese interference in the UK’s parliamentary democracy” during a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang on the sidelines of the G20 summit in India, Downing Street confirmed on Sunday.

The Chinese side only said that Li Qiang had called on Sunak in New Delhi to settle differences of opinion in an orderly manner and to respect each other’s core interests and main concerns, as the Chinese news agency Xinhua reported. The report did not go into the espionage affair.