UK sent RAF pilots to teach Chinese counterparts and allowed students to attend British military colleges
Britain’s Ministry of Defence sent serving Royal Air Force pilots to China to teach a course to their Chinese counterparts and allowed Chinese nationals to study at UK military colleges, Sky News can reveal.
Up to four frontline pilots took part in the ‘Aviation English Course’ in Beijing that ran in 2016, while at least three Chinese nationals have gone through basic officer training at the RAF’s college at Cranwell in Lincolnshire.
The most recent Chinese officer is thought to have attended the college in 2019 – a time when the UK and its closest ally, the United States, under then president Donald Trump, were increasingly concerned about security threats from China.
A former senior British officer also told Sky News that he had been aware in the past of a number of Chinese nationals who had studied at the Joint Services Command and Staff College at Shrivenham in Swindon – which caters for more senior military personnel from across the army, navy and air force.
“The joke was that they were always on the photocopier the whole time,” the source said.
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson said no “fast jet flight training, or any other sensitive training” was ever provided to the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
Earlier this month, the UK government revealed that around 30 former British military pilots were currently in China teaching the Chinese air force how to defeat Western warplanes, saying this activity posed a “threat to UK and Western interests”.
The MoD issued a “threat alert” to caution serving and former personnel against accepting such offers of employment, and officials said they were urgently planning to change the law to make that kind of activity illegal.
But the warnings prompted sources with knowledge of official government-to-government ties between the UK and China to point out that London had previously conducted its own defence training activities with Beijing.
They said it was a bit odd to suddenly turn on this private initiative now without providing the wider context, especially as the former pilots’ work had been declared to officials over many years without prompting such stark objections – even as recently as September of this year.
“So, on the one hand, the MoD is happy to provide international defence training opportunities when the political agenda suits, but now will critique individuals for similar actions,” one source said.
“I am not saying that justifies such a choice [by the former pilots] but you can see that the narratives aren’t quite consistent with what MoD personnel are asked to do.”
‘I’m sure more than English language got talked about’
UK government policy on China was very different a decade ago.
Then prime minister David Cameron sought to strengthen relations with China in what by 2015 he called a “golden era” in bilateral ties.
However, even when ministers were prioritising economic growth, defence officials were well aware of the Chinese security risks, with concern expressed internally about the balance between security and the so-called “prosperity agenda”.
Yet a number of China-UK military interactions still took place, including the Aviation English Course, a separate source said.
They said it “consisted of helping the People’s Liberation Army Air Force learn how to run overseas military deployments”.
Several Chinese nationals did basic initial officer training at RAF Cranwell
The source said about two to four serving RAF pilots were sent to Beijing to teach the course from 5-26 September 2016.
“It was very specific that it had to be frontline military aviators in current flying practice, so I am sure more than English language got talked about.”
The source added that they thought the title Aviation English Course was “a misnomer – why send military pilots rather than teachers?”
Another engagement was to allow a number of Chinese nationals to go through basic initial officer training at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire.
Two Chinese nationals – Lieutenant G Huang and Captain S Tong – were on the course in 2015 as the UK government was taking a more favourable view on China.
A defence source said they had both been due to train as engineers back in China and did not receive any RAF pilot training or engineering training.
A third Chinese national also went through the training course as recently as 2019 – a year when UK-China relations were on the decline over concerns about espionage, mobile phone technology, Hong Kong and the treatment of Uyghur Muslims and other minority ethnic groups in the Chinese province of Xinjiang.
The defence source said such basic training is conducted across all three services, including the army and the navy, with participants from a range of countries – both friendly and those the UK is seeking to build relationships with.
Such low-level, non-specialist training can be a useful way to build understanding, break down cultural barriers and improve military-to-military relationships.
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The MoD declined to respond to questions about the Aviation English Course or about the claims regarding Chinese nationals attending the Joint Services Command and Staff College at Shrivenham.
Questions also remain about why – given the growing concern about China – it took the UK until this month to raise the alarm about former British fast jet and helicopter pilots accepting contracts to train the Chinese military.
A South African company that has hired a number of the individuals involved said its employees have been in “regular” contact with the UK Ministry of Defence since the firm was established in 2003.
“The MoD has not raised any issue regarding any aspect of the training provided by the company or its employees,” a spokesperson for the Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) said.
“As recently as September 2022, a TFASA employee was invited to an interview with MoD personnel in the UK, with no concerns raised by the representatives from the MoD present.”
The spokesperson also rejected UK claims that its work with the Chinese posed any kind of security threat.
“TFASA’s employees are subject to a very clear company ethics protocol in relation to sensitive information and are also governed by national obligations as to secrecy,” they said.
Labour’s shadow defence secretary John Healey said the government has “serious questions” to answer.
“The first duty of any government is to protect our nation’s security,” he said in a statement.
“The Tories have been too slow to emerge from their ‘golden era’ with China and repeatedly blasé about security threats. This official deployment could have compromised details of UK military operations, technology and training to a foreign power, posing a significant threat to our national security.
“Ministers must answer serious questions about why they backed this activity and what risks it poses. The public also want reassurance on the actions taken to halt it.”
Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders in Kyiv to press Russia to agree an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time – arriving in the capital by train – with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz travelling in the saloon car of a special train to Kyiv. Pic: Reuters
Leaders arrive in Kyiv by train. Pic: PA
It comes after Donald Trump called for “ideally” a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions”.
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are “rowing in behind” the US president, who referred to his “European allies” for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal,” he said.
“It’s the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue.”
Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron among world leaders in Kyiv. Pic: AP
Trump calls for ceasefire. Pic: Truth Social
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days starting on Monday.
Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement.
European leaders show solidarity – but await Trump’s backing
The hope is Russia’s unilateral ceasefire, such as it’s worth, can be extended for a month to give peace a chance.
But ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian sources told Sky News they are still waiting for President Donald Trump to put his full weight behind the idea.
The US leader has said a 30-day ceasefire would be ideal, but has shown no willingness yet for putting pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to agree.
The Russians say a ceasefire can only come after a peace deal can be reached.
European allies are still putting their hopes in a negotiated end to the war despite Moscow’s intransigence and President Trump’s apparent one-sided approach favouring Russia.
Ukrainians would prefer to be given enough economic and military support to secure victory.
But in over three years, despite its massive economic superiority to Russia and its access to more advanced military technology, Europe has not found the political will to give Kyiv the means to win.
Until they do, Vladimir Putin may decide it is still worth pursuing this war despite its massive cost in men and materiel on both sides.
“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they said.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.”
Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in March. Pic: AP
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The leaders said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible”.
But they warned that they would continue to “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.
“We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come,” their statement added.
“We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine.”
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The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine’s capital where flags represent those who died in the war.
They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the “coalition of the willing” to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force.
Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for a coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.
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This force “would help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace”, according to Number 10.
A special constable has been jailed after taking pictures on his phone from bodycam footage showing a dying man.
Former police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after showing the photos of victim William Harty, 28, to a female colleague and storing them on his Snapchat account.
Mr Harty was found seriously injured in a residential street in Leicester on 25 October 2021 and Heggs had attended the scene, helping with CPR before paramedics arrived.
Mr Harty died in hospital a day later and the man responsible for his injuries, his brother-in-law Martin Casey, was subsequently convicted of his manslaughter.
Heggs showed the pictures he had taken of bodycam footage of Mr Harty’s body to a Leicestershire Police constable, who reported Heggs and said she did not like seeing blood.
His phone was seized and officers discovered other photographs and video clips of bodyworn footage of incidents Heggs had attended on duty, including of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid.
He also took pictures of a police computer screen, showing details of crimes and suspects, without consent.
Heggs stored the materials in a Snapchat folder and disclosed graphic details – most of which were not in the public domain – about the injuries to a woman who was killed in a road traffic collision he had attended, to a friend on the social media platform.
Heggs was suspended from the force in November 2021 and resigned in October 2024 before pleading guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences this March.
William Harty’s widow Mandy Casey. Pic: PA
‘He has traumatised me’
Mr Harty’s widow, Mandy Casey, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that Heggs “took (her) husband’s dignity when he was most vulnerable”.
“You don’t take someone’s dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.”
She continued: “When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.”
Ms Casey said she was still scared that photos of her husband’s body might appear on social media.
She added that she had lost trust in the police.
Public trust in police ‘significantly undermined’
Judge Timothy Spencer told Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, that he was “probably too immature to be working as a police officer” as he handed down the sentence.
He said Heggs had received “extensive training”, including on the importance of data protection, and knew he should only share materials for “a genuine policing purpose”.
Heggs’s actions had “significantly undermined” public trust and confidence in police, according to the judge.
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Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “William Heggs abused the public’s trust in the office he held as a special police constable.
“He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers.”
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