Britain’s domestic intelligence agency is warning the country’s lawmakers and universities of espionage attempts by China using spies posing as headhunters, among other tactics.

In a warning issued to lawmakers on Tuesday, Britain’s MI5 security service warned Parliament that China was using spies disguised as headhunters to recruit parliamentarians, with two individuals reaching out on LinkedIn to “conduct outreach at scale on behalf” of the Chinese government.

“Earlier today, MI5 issued an espionage alert” to Parliament and parliamentary staff “to warn them about ongoing targeting of our democratic institutions by Chinese actors”, Security Minister Dan Jarvis told the House of Commons on Tuesday.

“Our intelligence agencies have warned that China is attempting to recruit and cultivate individuals with access to sensitive information about Parliament and the UK government,” said Jarvis.

In October, MI5 said Chinese spies were creating fake job advertisements to try to lure British professionals into handing over information, with thousands of suspicious postings placed on online recruitment platforms.

Beijing promptly denied the accusations, calling on Britain to stop its “self-aggrandisement”.

“We urge the UK side to immediately stop this self-staged charade of false accusations and self-aggrandisement, and stop going further down the wrong path of undermining China-UK relations,” a spokesperson at the Chinese embassy in London said, adding that Beijing had “lodged stern representations” with the UK government.

Jarvis also warned that Britain’s universities were the target of Chinese attempts to influence their “independent research and interfere with activity on campus.” He said ministers would hold a closed event with university leaders to highlight the risks of foreign interference.

The new warning comes after British prosecutors abandoned a case in September against two British men charged with spying on members of parliament (MPs) for China, saying the British government had not provided clear evidence to show that Beijing was a threat to its national security.

The collapse of the case led to accusations from opposition politicians that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was prioritising better relations with Beijing over national security. The government denies the claims.

The warning also comes just weeks before the government must decide whether to approve a massive new Chinese embassy in London that critics say will pose a security risk.

Last year, the United Kingdom banned a Chinese businessman with alleged links to then-Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, from entering the country, saying the alleged spy posed a national security risk.

The man had reportedly become a “close confidant” of scandal-hit Andrew and was invited to royal residences, such as Buckingham Palace. The man also allegedly met with two former UK leaders on various occasions.