MP voices military secret fears after reports weapons expert gave lectures in China | Politics News

A leading MP has voiced concerns about the integrity of UK military secrets after it was reported that a British weapons expert had given talks in China.

Clive Woodley, who was principal scientist at defence firm Qinetiq from 2001 to 2018, spoke at a Chinese weapons industry conference as recently as October, according to news website Unherd.

Most of Mr Woodley’s research has been funded by the Ministry of Defence, it said.

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Tom Tugendhat, co-chair of the China Research Group, an organisation of Tory MPs, said: “This case raises serious concerns about the integrity of our military secrets and the level of cooperation between a British expert and a potentially hostile state.”

Mr Woodley, described as a ballistics expert, is currently a visiting researcher at Imperial College London’s Institute of Shock Physics.

Qinetiq, where he previously worked, was spun out of the MoD’s research agency in 2001 and in 2003 it signed a 25-year long partnership with the department to provide testing and evaluation including for military systems, weapons and components.

Unherd reported that he gave a speech in the Chinese city of Jinan in October at a conference on “new material technology for ammunition” that was attended by leading figures in the Chinese weapons industry.

High level concerns about China have been growing and the conference came just weeks before a speech by Richard Moore, head of MI6, saying that the country had for the first time become the single biggest focus for the intelligence service.

The Unherd report said Mr Woodley had taken part in a number of lectures and seminars in China over the past eight years.

It said there was no suggestion that he had disclosed classified information or consciously tried to damage Britain’s national interest.

Mr Woodley told The Times, which followed up Unherd’s story: “The MoD was aware of my activities.”

A government spokesperson said: “We have robust procedures in place to make sure research contracts do not contribute to overseas military programmes and that individuals or organisations with foreign-state links cannot access our sensitive research.

“Where the Ministry of Defence contracts potentially sensitive academic research, we ensure that stringent vetting checks are carried out.”

Qinetiq said it had “robust processes to vet our people and their activities both within and outside the business”.

A spokesperson for Imperial College London said: “Imperial conducts no classified research and we have robust relationship review policies and due diligence processes in place, with our commitments to UK national security given the utmost importance.”