Alleged Chinese spy who befriended Prince Andrew still a director of six UK companies

The alleged Chinese spy who had a close business relationship with the Duke of York is still a director at six British companies, filings show.

Despite being banned from entering the country on national security grounds, Yang Tengbo has not yet been removed from the UK’s corporate register.

That is despite mounting scrutiny from MPs, who have urged regulators to “urgently” review whether Mr Yang, 50, can still meet the requirements of being a “fit and proper person”.

Liam Byrne MP, chairman of the Business and Trade Committee, recently wrote to Companies House to question why the alleged spy’s directorships were “still active”.

However, in a response published last week, Companies House said it was unable to intervene.

It said: “Whilst Mr Tengbo [Yango] has been refused entry into the UK, unless Mr Tengbo [Yang] is disqualified as a director, or appears on the UK sanctions list, we have no powers to act in relation to his appointments as a director.”

This has fuelled confusion over which regulator can act on the issue, as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the regulator for financial services firms, also claimed last night that it was unable to strip Mr Yang of his directorships.

AN FCA spokesman instead claimed it was a matter for the Insolvency Service, a separate Government agency.

Mr Byrne said: “If we’re to safeguard our country better from foreign threats then we have to make sure that Companies House is no longer a weak link in the defence against economic crime and malevolent influence.”

He said it was now essential that the relevant regulator “reviews this matter urgently to help understand whether Mr Yang can still be judged a ‘fit and proper’ person to be a UK company director”.

Mr Byrne added: “[It is] surprising in many ways that while Mr Yang is denied leave to enter the country, he is still allowed to carry on with his duties as a director of companies listed at Companies House.”

One of the companies that still lists Mr Yang as a director is Hampton Group International, a lobbying firm that has extensive links to China.

The businessman was thrust into the spotlight last month when he was named by the High Court as an alleged Chinese spy, raising concerns over his relationship with the Duke of York.

The Home Office excluded Mr Yang from the UK last year after MI5 deemed him to be an agent engaged in “covert and deceptive activity” on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Mr Yang, who was referred to as H6 before an anonymity order was overturned, built ties with the Duke through the Chinese arm of his Pitch@Palace initiative.

This led to Mr Yang being invited to the Duke’s birthday party in 2020, with judges having described him as a “close confidant” of the Duke.

However, in a statement issued last month, Mr Yang said he had “done nothing wrong or unlawful”, claiming that the “widespread description” of him as a spy was “entirely untrue”.

The Duke has said he “ceased all contact” with Mr Yang when concerns were first raised about him by the Government.

As well as building a close relationship with the Duke, Mr Yang also met some of Britain’s most influential figures, including David Cameron and Theresa May, former prime ministers.

Mr Yango also kept pictures of the encounters on the desk of his London office.

The Chinese national, who began using the anglicised name of Chris Yang, was also a central figure in arranging the first UK-China Business Leaders’ Summit, where he was seen with George Osborne, the then chancellor.