Espionage fears hit Holyrood

It’s spooky season in Holyrood. Halloween might now be over but it seems that there are still scares in the air. Following the shock claims of an alleged Chinese spy working at the heart of Westminster, it seems that the parliamentary authorities up in Edinburgh are now taking no chances either. An invitation to a briefing has gone out this morning to MSPs and their staff, inviting them along to meet with officials from the UK’s national technical authorities. The invitation begins thus:

Dear Members and Members’ staff

Have you ever wondered what could be lurking in your benign-looking gift? Ever wondered why, on an official trip abroad, your room gets upgraded free of charge?

ESPIONAGE!

It doesn’t just happen to someone else, it could happen to you.

We’d like to invite you and your staff to a briefing on all things espionage, easvedropping and what we can do collectively to manage these risks.

Staff are invited to discuss the subject with officials from the National Protective Security Authority, the National Authority for Counter-Eavesdropping and the National Cyber Security Centre.