Furious Speaker hits out at ministers over China spying scandal and warns parliament will not be getting safety

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle accused the Government of failing to protect MPs after Parliament was ‘spied on’ by China.

It came as Security Minister Dan Jarvis attempted to distance the Labour government from the scandal by blaming National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell’s deputy for the collapse of a case against two alleged spies for Beijing.

Meanwhile, MI5 published a guide for MPs, peers, councillors and parliamentary staff for the first time, warning them: ‘You are a potential target.’

In a growing row over Beijing’s interference in our democracy, Sir Lindsay told the Commons on Monday: ‘I think there is something the Government ought to be aware of – it is this Parliament that has been spied on. It is MPs’ offices that have been infiltrated.

‘And as it stands, what we have seen is the payment for spying on what I believe should be protected.

‘At this moment, I feel we haven’t had the protection…I’m angry and disappointed. My job is to protect Parliament. I feel we aren’t getting that protection.’

He spoke out after espionage charges against former parliamentary researcher Chris Cash and his friend Christopher Berry were dropped when the Government’s Deputy National Security Adviser, Matthew Collins, refused to say that China was a national security threat.

Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson halted the case on the eve of trial last month after three witness statements from Mr Collins failed to support the Crown Prosecution Service case that the two accused had been passing secrets to Britain’s enemy.

In a growing row over Beijing’s interference in our democracy, Sir Lindsay told the Commons on Monday: ‘I think there is something the Government ought to be aware of – it is this Parliament that has been spied on. It is MPs’ offices that have been infiltrated.’

It came as Security Minister Dan Jarvis attempted to distance the Labour government from the scandal by blaming National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell’s deputy for the collapse of a case against two alleged spies for Beijing

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘This looks like a deliberate decision to collapse the case and curry favour with the regime in China’

On Monday Mr Jarvis claimed that Mr Collins was ‘given full freedom to provide evidence without interference’.

The Labour Security Minister said: ‘This was a matter for the Deputy National Security Adviser, a hugely experienced, highly capable senior official who provided evidence under the previous administration.’

He insisted ‘every effort was made to support the case’ by the Government adding that: ‘We fully recognise that China poses a series of threats to UK national security, yet we must also be alive to the fact that China does present us with opportunities.’

But former security minister Tom Tugendhat scoffed that Mr Jarvis had set ‘up more straw men than a Russian disinformation campaign.’

Last night there mounting calls for a statutory inquiry into the scandal as it was claimed Britain’s allies are worried that Labour is willing to sacrifice national security for economic ties with Beijing.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson warned that allies ‘are now also questioning whether the UK can be trusted to counter China’s growing threat‘.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: ‘This looks like a deliberate decision to collapse the case and curry favour with the regime in China.’

She added: ‘This weak Prime Minister does not have the backbone to stand up to Beijing.’

Yesterday MI5 published a guide telling politicians and staff how to detect and respond to espionage and interference attempts from hosile states.

It warns: ‘The UK is a target of long-term strategic foreign interference and espionage from elements of the Russian, Chinese and Iranian states.’

As well as urging vigilance at home, MI5 advises that foreign intelligence services could seek to exploit politicians’ overseas travel to access their data or use financial donations as a route to influence.

But Ms Badenoch urged the Government to do more saying: ‘In essence, China spied on this Parliament and they’re issuing us with leaflets. This is not good enough.’