British middle man found dead in China and his links to intelligence company Mr Heywood's death in the city of Chongqing in November was initially attributed to natural causes by the Chinese authorities. He was cremated quickly and his remains given to his unsuspecting family. The British embassy in Beijing has now asked for a fresh investigation after Wang Lijun, the city's former police chief, raised the possibility of foul play and a link emerged between Mr Heywood and Bo Xilai, the powerful politician who was purged from the Communist Party earlier this month. Leonie Summers, Mr Heywood's sister and an art historian, flew from London to collect his ashes together with his wife, Lulu. His body was cremated without an autopsy. His family was told he had died of a heart attack, while the British embassy was given another reason - excessive alcohol consumption - which friends say was unlikely as he was not a big drinker. Mr Heywood was certainly connected to Mr Bo's family, and may have helped his son get into Harrow. He is also said to have had a soured business relationship with Mr Bo's wife, Gu Kailai. It is very strange that it was not reported in any media. I can only think it is because everyone was too afraid of Bo Xilai to look into it," said one Chongqing-based journalist who asked not to be named. Heywood's friend commented; "What is interesting is that the Chinese government did not want anything to do with the case at all at the time of his death. And the British embassy was not helpful at the time. Personally I think whether or not he died under suspicious circumstances, the question is why is this being raised now, rather than at the time of his death? He might have had knowledge that he should not have had. He often knew about deals long before anyone else did. But he may have just died of a heart attack. And whatever it was, he appears to be a small pawn in a bigger picture," said his friend. That picture may be an attempt by the Chinese government to smear Mr Bo, who remains widely popular, in the wake of his purge, before it delivers a final verdict on his case. Mr Heywood would have been well aware of potential pitfalls of doing business in China. He had spent two decades in the country, introducing Chinese firms to their Western counterparts and taking a fee if a deal was struck. "He was the middle man," said his friend, who asked not to be named. He knew a lot of interesting people and he put them together. He got deals done but was under the canopy. He did not want any credit. One of the deals that Mr Heywood was involved in eventually saw Manganese Bronze, the makers of the London black cab, join forces with Geely, a Chinese car company. Yesterday a spokesman for Manganese Bronze said Mr Heywood had not officially brokered the deal, but had helped the company evaluate the Chinese car market. He also sold Aston Martin sports cars. Mr Heywood was brought up in Clapham before following in his father's footsteps at Harrow, where he boarded at West Acre house. He studied at Warwick University and then took a first job in the House of Commons. He quickly decided, however, that China represented a golden opportunity. "He was very clear that he was in China because there were opportunities there, but he had been planning to move back to the UK, so his boy and girl could enjoy the same sort of upbringing he did," his friend said. However, his time in China had taken an enormous toll. He had aged rapidly in the last few years. He was low key, but he was very kind, warm, the sort of man who would look for the person in the room who was uncomfortable and go to make them feel at ease. You could talk to him about anything," his friend said. A spokesman for Hakluyt said: "Neil had a long history of advising Western companies in China and we were among those who sought his advice. We were greatly saddened by his death. The spokesman stressed that Mr Heywood was not advising them on Chongqing. He said Hakluyt "still had a relationship" with Mr Heywood at the time of his death.