The UK government will reportedly accuse China of involvement in cyber-attacks on the country’s elections regulator. In August 2021, it was discovered that the database of the Electoral Commission had been hacked and that the personal information of millions of voters had been compromised. The names of several MPs and senators who were critical of the Chinese government were reportedly among the stolen information. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is expected to address Parliament on the issue, while other Western countries are also expected to make similar complaints.
Chinese investment in UK infrastructure has been rejected or curtailed on national security grounds in recent years, the government noted. Former UK Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, former minister Tim Laughton, and SNP’s Stewart McDonald, who are among those believed to have been targeted, will receive a briefing from the head of parliamentary security. They are members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, which scrutinizes and speaks out against Chinese activities.
Concerns about Chinese espionage and parliamentary interference in the UK have been increasing. A parliamentary researcher was arrested in September 2023, charged with spying for China under the Official Secrets Act. A year earlier, a warning was issued regarding the activities of UK-based lawyer Christine Lee, alleging that she made political interference and made donations to support the work of MPs, activities alleged to have been conducted on behalf of China. China has refuted all accusations of espionage or wrongdoing
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