China reportedly hacked and surveilled the mobile phones of top officials in Downing Street for years as a part of a global espionage dragnet.
A report from London’s Daily Telegraph has claimed that a Chinese spying operation saw the communications of senior officials in the administrations of prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak monitored between 2021 and 2024.
Although it is unclear if the phones of prime ministers were caught up in the surveillance scheme, a source is quoted by the broadsheet as saying that the Chinese infiltration reached “right into the heart of Downing Street”.
It is also unclear at the time of this reporting whether Beijing had access to text messages or was able to listen in on Downing Street phone calls.
However, even if they were unable to tap such communications, the access gained would have at least allowed them to obtain metadata and geolocation information, likely providing an indication of officials’ whereabouts and who they were in contact with.
The Chinese operation, referred to as Salt Typhoon, also targeted fellow Five Eyes nations Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, which warned that the stolen data could “provide Chinese intelligence services with the capability to identify and track their targets’ communications and movements around the world.”
Washington has also warned that Chinese hackers often “maintain persistent, long-term access” to communications networks, suggesting that there could be an ongoing risk of the British government being surveilled by Beijing.
The governing left-wing Labour Party has faced multiple scandals involving alleged Chinese espionage, including in 2022 when suspected spy Christine Lee was revealed to have donated £700,000 to the Labour Party as part of a Westminster influence operation.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage remarked at the time, “If there’s one Chinese spy in parliament, you can bet your life there’s a lot more than that.”
In October, the Labour government faced accusations that it had sabotaged an investigation into two alleged spies, including a parliamentary researcher, over concerns that it would damage Britain’s ability to ink a trade deal with the communist country.
More accusations of kowtowing were levied at the government last week when it approved the construction of a Chinese “mega embassy” in central London, despite concerns that it would provide Beijing with a major centre of operations to launch espionage campaigns in Britain. Concerns have been heightened because the proposed site would be close to highly sensitive data cables running between the financial hubs of the City of London and Canary Wharf.
The latest accusations come as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer heads to China, becoming the first UK leader to do so since 2018, after which relations began to fray over the deterioration of democratic freedoms in the former British colony of Hong Kong.
Speaking ahead of his controversial trip, Prime Minister Starmer told Bloomberg News that he would not be forced to “choose between” deepening trade ties with China and maintaining a close relationship with the United States.
He said that the UK would continue to maintain “close ties” with America on defence and the economy, but said that “sticking your head in the sand and ignoring China… wouldn’t be sensible”.
However, Starmer may risk angering U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently threatened to sanction Canada if globalist Prime Minister Mark Carney signs a trade deal with China.