Labour under fire for ‘deliberate cover-up’ of Chinese cyber attack | Politics | News
Sir Keir Starmer’s Labor Government has been accused of covering up a major Chinese cyberattack on the Foreign Office to avoid a diplomatic firestorm ahead of the Prime Minister’s high-risk visit to Beijing. The daring attack, carried out in October, targeted Government servers that hold thousands of confidential Home Office visa application records managed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Details of the security breach only emerged on Friday, following reports that the attack was attributed to Storm-1849. The group is a notorious China-linked espionage group that has previously been accused by Western intelligence agencies of state-sponsored hacking against democratic institutions.
Business secretary Sir Chris Bryant confirmed the incident in a series of broadcast interviews, admitting: “There has certainly been a hack of the FCDO and we have been aware of it since October.” But he sought to downplay the severity, insisting the breach was quickly contained. He added: “We are very confident in our investigation so far that no one, no individual will be harmed or endangered by what has happened.”
Sir Chris described some reports as “speculation” and claimed it was “not clear” whether the breach was “directly related to Chinese agents or the Chinese state”. The refusal to point the finger at Beijing sparked anger among the Opposition, who claimed ministers were prioritizing diplomacy over national security.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel led the charge, accusing the Government of “ignoring” the threat to avoid embarrassing the Prime Minister. Posting on
The timing of the announcement is particularly sensitive as Sir Keir will be the first UK Prime Minister to visit China since 2018. The trip, planned for late January, forms the centerpiece of Labour’s “reset” of UK-China relations aimed at spurring economic growth despite warnings from the security services.
Shadow Security Secretary Alicia Kearns also accused Labor of a “deliberate cover-up”. he said MailOnline The government hid the hack to “pave the way for the Prime Minister’s joyous visit to Beijing” and to avoid further humiliation following the recent collapse of a high-profile case against two alleged Chinese spies.
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith was equally harsh, saying: “They know full well who did it. China. The reason they don’t say it is because they have this ridiculous nonsense about Keir Starmer visiting China. China is making fools of us. We look too stupid and pathetic to even say it’s a hack.”
The breach has raised fears that sensitive information of Hong Kong passport holders and dissidents fleeing to the UK may have been compromised. Luke de Pulford, co-founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, warned: “If visa application data was among the material accessed, the consequences would be particularly dire given the potential risks to dissidents who rely on the UK for protection.”
Storm-1849 was previously detected in early 2024, with ministers officially attributing cyber attacks on MPs and the Electoral Commission to China; This breach exposed the data of 40 million voters.
This latest incident comes amid reports that the government is preparing to approve a massive new Chinese “super embassy” in London; Security experts warned that the move could provide a permanent base for Chinese intelligence operations in the heart of the capital.
