Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

When people in Britain think of spies, many call to mind the exploits of James Bond, the fictional secret agent created in the books of author Ian Fleming but whose character has grown through movies to become a glamorous brand known all over the world.

Bond's ability to outwit his adversaries is legendary - and it is all done in the name of Her Majesty's most beneficent government: always showing good triumphing over evil, truth over lies, right over wrong.

However, recent events might suggest that neither the actual administration working from London's Whitehall, nor the actual spies charged with defending the realm, may be able to live up to the fantasy of film.

A real life spy story has emerged from the corridors of power which, had it been the plot of a novel, would probably have been rejected as too far-fetched for words.

A Chinese businesswoman living in Britain, where she works as a lawyer, Christine Lee, has been accused by the British Secret Service - its domestic intelligence agency, better known as MI5 - of being an agent of China and trying to influence political decisions made in the United Kingdom by legislators, high politicians, and people of influence.

But even British people themselves are less than convinced about the truth of the allegations. Within minutes of the claims being made public, social media was awash with skeptical comments from ordinary people expressing their disbelief at what they saw as a clumsy ploy to divert public attention away from more urgent problems faced by the government in Britain.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's administration is in crisis and he is fighting for his political life. His Conservative Party is on the brink of civil war after he, other ministers and public officials were caught breaking strict health regulations introduced to control the spread of COVID-19 - that is, severely limiting meetings between people. Specifically, at a time when thousands of victims were dying and hospitals were struggling to cope with wave after wave of infected people, dozens of officials and politicians - including the prime minister, his wife and senior advisors, repeatedly threw parties both inside the heart of government, 10 Downing Street, and outside in its secure garden. Pictures have emerged of these people drinking, eating and playing games at a time when ordinary people were mostly restricted to their homes, prevented from visiting relatives dying in hospital, or attending their funerals, for fear they would spread the disease.

News of the parties has caused outrage, and this outrage has led to an existential crisis for the Conservative leader. The popularity of Johnson and his government has fallen in the polls and even some of his most loyal political colleagues are calling for him to resign. All of this comes on top of seething resentment at soaring energy and food prices, a crisis in social care and the National Health Service, rising crime and fewer police officers, repeated allegations of corruption, and tax rises looming in the coming months for millions of workers.

The public response to the bizarre allegations of spying by China led to it being labelled by many as a "dead cat" story. This expression comes from the imaginary situation of a difficult meeting in which no resolution seems possible until someone throws a dead cat on to the table - it would be an action so shocking and distracting that everyone immediately forgets the original purpose of the meeting and begins to focus on the cat. So, the Chinese spy story is regarded as a "dead cat" - that is, a shocking story made public at this precise moment in order to distract attention from the government's many problems in general and the problems of the prime minister in particular.

MI5 operates in the shadows and is supposed to be an apolitical organization, operationally independent of politicians in government. However, in law, the service is overseen by the Home Secretary who, for example, personally signs warrants for its most intrusive activity. The role is currently held by Priti Patel, one of the Prime Minister's closest allies. Yet, despite its secretive credentials, MI5 has taken the extraordinary step of naming Ms Lee as a Chinese agent. Members of the British parliament were warned that she is an agent trying to influence political decisions, and some right-wing politicians have even called for her to be deported from the UK.

Yet it quickly emerged that some of the allegations had been made in a smear story almost five years ago, and repeated in another right-wing newspaper just two years ago. MI5 said Ms Lee, who has become a leading figure in the Chinese community in Britain, gave money to British politicians and worked for the Chinese Embassy in London. It said she was trying to influence lawmakers and people in power, as if she was engaged in some kind of undercover work. Most of this, in other words, was old news.

The statement issued by MI5 seemed to be given added credibility by people confirming the allegations in news stories. But the identities of these people have always been anonymous "Whitehall sources," not a named individual - creating the suspicion that the "source" might not just be someone wishing to remain anonymous for fear of being punished, but perhaps someone with a political reason for wanting the MI5 story to be believed.

The donations to politicians were far from being secret - all were declared on public records which anyone can view online. One politician, who employed Ms Lee's son as an assistant, informed not only the public records but also told MI5, to ensure no wrongdoings were taking place. And the fact that Ms Lee's law firm worked for the Chinese diplomatic missions was no secret either - anyone who cares to look on the company's website will be able to see it was declared quite openly (the site also reveals that she worked for the UK Trade and Investment Department).

Because of her work supporting Chinese people in Britain, she has been photographed over the years with leading figures like the UK's future king Prince Charles and former prime minister David Cameron and was honored by his successor Theresa May. Yet she has been "accused" of having a remit to advance Chinese interests, of covertly seeking influence. But how can you do this covertly if you are doing it so openly? Seeking influence from legislators is not against the law if it is declared. Parliament in London is packed with professional lobbyists whose job is to influence lawmakers in favor of their clients who are often corporations like transnational oil companies or arms manufacturers. Whatever the morality of the practice, it is lawful if it is declared.

All of this, I think, leads to three serious questions.

First, why has a normally obsessively secret organization like MI5 chosen this moment to issue an almost unprecedented statement about a highly politically charged issue?

Second, could the drawing of attention to what is an old story have been deliberately orchestrated in order to draw attention away from the failures and wrongdoings of certain politicians in power?

And third, what kind of spy operates in full view, when all so-called suspicious activity can be seen by anyone who cares to look? Whoever acted in such a way would be a poor spy indeed, perhaps not even a spy at all - and certainly no James Bond.

The author worked as a journalist in Britain for more than 45 years. He is a member of both the National Union of Journalists and the University and College Union in Britain. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn