Former MP suspects he has been spied on by China

Former MP Tim Loughton had sanctions imposed on him in 2021 by China

A former MP and government minister has said he suspects he was the victim of Chinese spying, having been sanctioned by the nation back in 2021.

The UK government continues to face questions after charges were dropped against two men accused of spying for China.

Tim Loughton, Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham for more than 27 years, expressed concerns that he was "involved in the files that have been passed over, allegedly, by these two people".

All claims have been denied by China, with foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stating: "We firmly oppose peddling China spy narratives and vilifying China."

Mr Loughton told BBC Radio Sussex: "I've been involved with China for a long time.

"I've called out China's human rights abuses, I was one of those who put forward amendments to make sure Chinese government companies weren't involved in our infrastructure projects, as a result of which I'm a subject of interest to them."

The former MP, who stood down last year, also highlighted an incident in 2024 when he said he was deported during a trip to Djibouti.

He claimed that it was because of the east African country's close ties to China.

'Real fear of arrest'

Mr Loughton was one of seven parliamentarians sanctioned by China in 2021, with the remainder still in parliament.

Sanctions act as restrictive measures and can be placed on businesses and individuals to achieve specific foreign policy or national security objectives.

Restrictions on trade, finance and entry into the country are among those which can be imposed.

Mr Loughton highlighted that, as a private citizen, he no longer had "certain protections" afforded to parliamentarians, requiring him to be "even more wary".

"The real fear is that we could be on Interpol's red list, and if we find ourselves in a country which has repatriation agreements with China, we could be arrested and find ourselves on a plane to Beijing," he said.

Interpol is an inter-governmental organisation that facilitates police cooperation among 196 member countries.

A red notice is an official request issued by Interpol to law enforcement agencies to provisionally arrest an individual, pending extradition, surrender or other legal actions. It is not the same as an international arrest warrant.

The proceedings against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry collapsed because evidence could not be obtained from the government referring to China as a national security threat, according to the director of public prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson.

Mr Loughton said the outcome was "exceedingly mysterious and concerning", claiming that he had been given briefings which said that it was "a very clear-cut case".

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office has been approached for comment.

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