Bannon’s War Room Battleground EP 897: China’s Grip Over UK Political Class Exposed

Date: November 22, 2025
Host: WarRoom.org (primarily Ben Hanwell at helm)
Main Guests:

• Joseph Robertson (UK political analyst, Substack writer)
• Philip Gaspar (AfD parliamentary analyst, Germany)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the mounting evidence of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) infiltration and influence campaigns within the UK’s political class, as detailed in recent Times of London reporting and earlier analyses by Joseph Robertson. The conversation extends to compare Western and Chinese strategic thinking, governmental complicity, and moves into a parallel discussion about long-term international "managed states" through an interview with Philip Gaspar regarding Bosnia and Herzegovina’s protectorate status—and projections for Ukraine.

1. UK Political Class: Chinese Influence Exposed (00:54-11:19)

Key Discussion Points

• New Revelations, Old News (02:19)

  • Joseph Robertson notes CCP infiltration is hardly a surprise to those tracking UK politics.
  • The Chinese modus operandi is long-term “amelioration”: seeding influence, shifting sympathies, and embedding actors across all layers of government and civil service—not just harvesting state secrets.
  • Quote:

    "It's all about manpower and no one does it better than the Chinese when it comes to actually...infiltrating, but also people on the side...across Europe, I would say." (Joseph Robertson, 02:19)

• Thousands of Approaches: Strategy and Tactics (03:42-07:09)

  • Times of London documents “thousands of approaches” to the UK political class by CCP-linked operatives—more than casual diplomatic contact.
  • Methods: LinkedIn, email outreach, offering lucrative opportunities or low-level information exchange to build relationships and slowly compromise actors.
  • Notable Quote:

    "They want to build relations of trust. You get little bits of gossip in exchange for cash in envelopes...because of course once you do that, you're then compromised...the CCP...has now its tentacles right across already bought and sold political class." (Host/Ben Hanwell, 05:58)

• Subtlety and the Long Game (07:09)

  • The CCP invests across education, tech (citing TikTok/Confucius programs), and even uses AI for sophisticated phishing and manipulation.
  • Emphasized difference: Chinese strategic patience, thinking beyond the immediate—a “100-year plan.”
  • Quote:

    “China never builds for tomorrow, it builds for 100 years from now...How can I weaken my enemy in such a way that he actually becomes my friend and I don't need to fight a war?” (Joseph Robertson, 07:09)

2. The British Establishment’s Response & Systemic Weakness (09:11-16:54)

Key Discussion Points

• British Government’s Inadequate Response (09:11-11:19)

  • Speaker of the Commons issues a letter—perceived as performative.
  • The UK refuses to designate China as a national security threat, primarily due to entrenched economic interests.
  • Notable quote:

    “You just don't do something like that unless there is someone at the very top of government who is actively working against national interest.” (Joseph Robertson, 09:45)

• Legislative Paralysis and “Manchurian Candidates” (11:19)

  • Inference that individuals at the highest levels may act in China’s interest, intentionally or otherwise.

3. Mirroring the CCP: Digital ID and Gradualist Transformation (14:56-19:49)

Key Discussion Points

• Creeping Authoritarianism via Digital Policy (14:56)

  • Push for digital IDs in UK likened to China’s social control infrastructure.
  • Key concern: These incremental, “Fabian-style” policies may result in irreversible loss of civil liberties.
  • Notable quote:

    “Digital ID is really the hill we've got to die on. If that comes in...you are going to be living under authoritarian CCP, mirrored regime control.” (Joseph Robertson, 16:54)

• Debate: Digital ID vs. National Citizenship (16:54-19:49)

  • The host plays devil’s advocate, asking whether digital ID could aid in curbing illegal immigration.
  • Robertson rejects this, arguing it will burden citizens and not effectively target those outside the system.

4. Failures of Prosecution and Systemic Complicity (19:49-24:53)

Key Discussion Points

• Legal Failures: The Case of “the two Christophers” (19:49-24:53)
  • Collapse of high-profile espionage prosecutions (Christopher Cash & Christopher Bowie) attributed to UK’s refusal to designate China a formal threat.
  • Robertson suggests apathy is deliberate, with higher systemic rot at play.
  • Quote:

    “If you take the approach that you are going to prosecute all of these cases equally...then you will find that you are prosecuting many people in the civil service quite rapidly...their interests align in a way that is mirrored and unless we wake up to that fact, we are going to fall into communism.” (Joseph Robertson, 22:12)

5. Broader European Context: CCP Operations and Western Disunity (24:53-26:17)

Key Discussion Points

• Germany’s CCP Espionage Case (24:53)
  • Reference to AfD’s Maximilian Krah and his aide convicted of CCP-linked espionage.
  • CCP’s method: Compromise aides—“one step removed from principals”—to gain influence, a pattern echoed EU-wide.
  • Notable quote:

    “We don't have a united response to this at all. We don't understand our enemy...We are sleeping heavily at the moment. We've got to wake up and coordinate this response.” (Joseph Robertson, 26:17)

6. From Protectorates to Quagmires: Bosnia’s “Managed Peace” & Ukraine’s Future (32:01-52:17)

Bosnia as the Perpetual Protectorate (34:07-47:10)

• Discussion with Philip Gaspar:

  • Bosnia & Herzegovina, post-Dayton Agreement, operates as a “managed state” or “protectorate.”
  • The complex arrangement is not a nation in the classical sense, but a stasis held by foreign (EU/US) intervention and a “High Representative” wielding extraordinary power.
  • Gaspar notes a lack of sovereignty and self-sufficiency nearly 30 years on.

• Potential Parallels in Ukraine (37:50–40:18)

  • Gaspar suggests a similar “managed peace” could arise in Ukraine:
    • Peace secured by Western oversight and ongoing injections of support, but little genuine progress or sovereignty.

Sovereignty, High Representatives, and “Rule by Exception” (42:25-51:14)

• The High Representative’s Powers

  • Christian Schmidt (current) likened to a “colonial governor,” able to dismiss elected officials and override parliaments.
  • Example: Removal of Milorad Dodik, the elected Serb leader, for refusing to enact a decree.

• Divergent US/EU Approaches (44:41–47:10)

  • Trump administration’s stance: “Sort it out yourselves” — lessening American investment/oversight.
  • EU (and especially Germany): Continues heavy involvement, financial investment, and support for the existing managed structure.

Memorable Moments and Quotes

• On the enduring nature of these arrangements:

  "We have a joke here in Germany...we know in the end the Germans will pay. When it comes to Europe on a global scale, probably the US but when it comes to Europe...Germany will pay for it." (Philip Gaspar, 47:10)

• On sovereignty and Euro-Atlantic integration:

  “The moment Bosnia becomes a sovereign state, they don’t need the high representative anymore...basically this won’t happen in the near future.” (Philip Gaspar, 50:33)

7. Connecting the Dots: Takeaways and Warnings

• Western Weakness and Disunity

  • Both guests highlight the West’s lack of long-term planning, reactive policies, and failure to rigorously identify or confront threats (whether the CCP or systemic, constitutional weaknesses revealed in protectorates like Bosnia).

• Authoritarian Drift

  • Both cases demonstrate the dangers of complacency: whether from economic dependency and policy mimicry with China, or perpetual foreign-managed “peace” arrangements that arrest real national development.

• Specter of Irreversible Change

  • Key warning: Once systemic changes are implemented through gradualism or emergency powers (digital ID, foreign “high representatives”), reversing them is immensely difficult.

Key Segment Timestamps

| Segment Topic | Speaker(s) | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------------|----------------------|------------| | CCP infiltration in UK politics | Joseph Robertson, Ben| 00:54–11:19| | Nature of CCP approaches & long-term agenda | Joseph Robertson | 03:42–07:09| | Subtlety of “low-level” information gathering| Joseph Robertson, Ben| 04:31–05:58| | UK establishment’s “performative” response | Joseph Robertson | 09:11–11:19| | Digital ID & civil liberties, Fabian gradualism| Joseph Robertson | 14:56-16:54| | Collapse of “two Christophers” prosecution | Joseph Robertson | 19:49–22:12| | Germany’s CCP espionage case | Joseph Robertson | 24:53–26:17| | Bosnia’s Protectorate Status | Philip Gaspar | 34:07–42:25| | US–EU approaches to managing Bosnia | Philip Gaspar | 44:41–47:10| | Parallels to Ukraine | Philip Gaspar | 37:50–40:18|

Notable Quotes

• Joseph Robertson on CCP strategy:

  “China never builds for tomorrow, it builds for 100 years from now…Some of it is intellectual, educational, some of it is financial. But always they're thinking, 100 years from now, how will this look?” (07:09)

• On digital ID and authoritarian drift:

  “If we do get to that point, we will have seen essentially a mirroring...of the CCP's policies. Now, why would a government that's on track to mirror the CCP's policies…why would it halt it? Because, of course, if you copy the Chinese, you get exactly what you want, which is irreversible change.” (16:54)

• Philip Gaspar on Bosnia’s sovereignty:

  “So you have an elected president…by the Serbs and based on a law that was created by the high representative and who cannot be reviewed by any court in the country. That's even a point. So this is not a constitutional democracy. And this rule by exception.” (44:41)

• Ben Hanwell on the West’s investment:

  “This is an investment that is going to go on and on and on and on.” (50:01)

Guest Social Links

• Joseph Robertson:

  • X (Twitter): @jr_types
  • Instagram: @JosephRobertsonUK
  • Substack: jl_types

• Philip Gaspar:

  • X (Twitter): @Gaspar_Philip

Summary

This episode of War Room Battleground examines in detail the depth and sophistication of CCP influence operations in the UK, the underwhelming response by British authorities, and the larger pattern of systemic inertia in the West when facing long-term external threats. The discussion draws strong parallels to Bosnia's decades-long protectorate status and the risks of replicating such arrangements in Ukraine—suggesting a recurring Western habit of “managed peace” and performative action rather than assertive self-preservation. The episode ends with pointed warnings about the dangers of copying authoritarian methods, both through digital policies and perpetual international oversight mechanisms.