Christine Ching Kui Lee

Christine Lee (born Ching Kui Lee; She used this experience as an influence to later encourage and assist British-Chinese people to get involved in politics, beginning with supporting Steven Dominique Cheung during the 2009 European parliamentary elections, who was 19 years old at the time of his campaign.

Beginning when she was 13 years old, Lee helped with her parents' catering business, participating on weekends and at nighttime. After finishing her A-levels, Lee would relocate to Birmingham to complete her legal studies.

Career Lee began her career with the law firm Lee Crowder. The firm did not deal in immigration, Lee's largest passion. This inspired Lee to leave her position and launch her firm, Christine Lee & Co. Lee and her husband, Martin Wilkes (who is also a solicitor), were listed as co-owners of the business.

Christine Lee & Co's consultancy subsidiary, China UK Link, paired Chinese entrepreneurs with investment opportunities, obtained visas for education purposes, and helped subsidiaries of Chinese companies deal with legal issues in the United Kingdom.

Lobbying efforts, British-Chinese Project Lee was influenced to begin lobbying in 2005, when the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act was proposed. She spoke with Lord Chan of Oxton, the only lord of Chinese descent in the UK at the time, who persuaded her to rally the Chinese communities of England, rather than just London. This contributed to an amending of the bill before its approval in 2006.

In 2010, Lee was part of then-Prime Minister David Cameron's delegation to China, serving as its only Chinese member.

In 2019, Lee introduced Chinese technology conglomerate Huawei to a British political lobbying firm seeking its business, leading to a meeting. Former Conservative MP Neil Carmichael worked for the lobbying firm and had previously worked with Lee on education-related issues. After The Times 2017 piece, Gardiner received a further £200,000 from Lee, having received a total of £425,000. The Times said Gardiner generally took a pro-Beijing position in his shadow portfolio dealings, but the donations were disclosed and there was no suggestion of impropriety on Gardiner's part. Gardiner wrote a letter saying the amounts he received were used to fund researchers and Lee had no influence in the appointment or management of these individuals.

Allegations of political interference

In January 2022, the MI5 issued an interference alert declaring Lee to be an agent working for the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party, who was covertly "involved in political interference activities in the UK". A lawyer for Lee has claimed that this alert was the first issued in "at least 80 years".

In July 2023, Lee sued the MI5 seeking unspecified damages for alleged breaches of her human rights. The lawsuit was filed to attempt to clear her name and force the disclosure of why the agency warned lawmakers about her. In an Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) hearing, Lee's lawyer read a message sent from Gardiner, who wrote that "many people" believed the alert was timed to divert attention from Partygate, a political scandal in the United Kingdom about gatherings of government (notably Boris Johnson) and Conservative Party staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.

In December 2024, three IPT judges (Lord Justice Singh, Lord Boyd, and Judge Rupert Jones) dismissed her claims, upholding the MI5 interference alert.

In December 2025, the government of the United Kingdom ordered an independent review into foreign financial interference in UK politics, which was led by former Department for Exiting the European Union Permanent Secretary Philip Rycroft. The review was ordered in response to events surrounding Lee and former politician Nathan Gill.

Personal life Lee is a naturalised British citizen, residing in Solihull. Together, they have two sons, Daniel and Michael Wilkes. Daniel studied politics and international relations at Exeter University, and Michael acted as the vice-chairman of the British-Chinese Project. Lee is a born again Christian.

Lee's father was the founder of the Chinese Community Association and owned multiple Chinese restaurants in Northern Ireland.

Recognition Lee's contributions to UK-China relations were highly regarded by both the Chinese and UK governments, leading to meetings with Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, and David Cameron.

In 2019, Lee received the Points of Light award from then-Prime Minister Theresa May, in recognition of her work with the British-Chinese Project and the China Overseas Friendship Association. May would also write Lee a personal letter commending her for her work. The award would later be rescinded in the wake of the MI5 alert.

Also in 2019, Lee was invited to participate in the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.