Jarvis tells MPs Chinese spying operation amounts to interference in British democracy
Jarvis says MI5 issued an espionage alert earlier today to MPs, peers and parliamentary staff. (See 12.18pm.)
He urges all parliamentarians to read it.
He says China is trying to contact MPs and peers to get sensitive information about parliament.
He says Chinese agents are trying to contact with access to this sensitive information. They are sometimes posing as headhunters, or as people working for cover companies. He says there is a low threshold for the sort of information they find useful.
This is an attempt to interfere in British politics, he says.
Jarvis added the government will not tolerate “covert and calculated” attempts by China to interfere with the UK’s sovereign affairs.
UPDATE: Jarvis said:
Let me speak plainly.
This activity involves a covert and calculated attempt by a foreign power to interfer in our sovereign affairs in favour of its own interests, and this government will not tolerate it.
It builds on a pattern of activity that we have seen from China with cyber-operations by China state-affiliated actors targeting parliamentary emails in 2021, attempted foreign interference activity by Christine Lee in 2022 and other more recent cases.
We will take all necessary measures to protect our national interests, our citizens and our democratic way of life, including working with our allies and partners.
Dan Jarvis speaking in the Commons Photograph: HoCShare
Updated at 14.30 CET
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Jarvis tells MPs Chinese spying operation amounts to interference in British democracy
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Starmer urges cabinet colleagues to avoid ‘distractions’ and focus on delivering for public
Keir Starmer warned his cabinet against “distractions” after days of Labour civil war and Budget leaks, Downing Street has said.
Giving reporters a readout from cabinet today, the PM’s spokesperson said:
The prime minister opened cabinet by setting out the importance of the government’s mandate to renew the country. He said distractions meant our focus shifted from where it mattered most – working every day in the service of the British people.
The prime minister said next week’s budget would prioritise rebuilding the economy, showing what the government stands for. The prime minister said people were rightly impatient for change and we had to deliver that, rather than talk about ourselves. That meant working as one team, delivering opportunity and security and delivering on our mandate.
Given that the government briefing which caused most difficulty last week was the suggestion from No 10 sources that Starmer was getting ready to fight off a leadership challenge from Wes Streeting, ministers may have felt that the PM’s lecture might have been better directed at his own staff.
Asked if the comments could be seen as an apology by Starmer to his colleagues, the spokesperson said he would not accept that characterisation.
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The Cabinet Office has sent out details of what it calls the “Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan” announced by Dan Jarvis. It says:
Dan Jarvis has told MPs that he will coordinate a new Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan to disrupt and deter spying from states like China.
The plan will see the intelligence services deliver security briefings for political parties and issue new guidance to election candidates to help them recognise, resist and report suspicious activity; work with professional networking sites to make them a more hostile operating environment for spies; and tighten rules on political donations through a new elections bill …
£170m will be invested in renewing the sovereign and encrypted technology that civil servants use to safeguard sensitive work. A further £130m will be invested on projects such as building Counter Terrorism Policing’s ability to enforce the National Security Act, and fund the National Cyber Security Centre’s and National Protective Security Authority’s work with critical businesses to protect their intellectual property.
[Jarvis] also informed parliament that the government had completed the removal of surveillance equipment manufactured by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of the People’s Republic of China from all sensitive sites the government operates around the world.
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Jarvis says government developing ‘proscription-type tool’ to counter organisations involved in Chinese spying
In his statement Jarvis said the government was working on new powers to ban organisations like the Chinese ones involved in spying. He said:
I can confirm we are also working on new powers to counter foreign interference, including a Mr Jarvis added: “I can confirm we are also working on new powers to counter foreign interference, including a proscription-type tool to disrupt proxy organisations undermining our security and an extension to maximum penalties for election interference offences.”to disrupt proxy organisations undermining our security and an extension to maximum penalties for election interference offences.
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Jarvis says the UK is a trading company, and it trades with countries that have different cultures. China is an important trading partner, he says.
But the government will always act to protect the national interest, he says.
He ends by saying the government will cooperate where it can, but challenge China when it has to.
UPDATE: Jarvis said:
We will always, always, challenge any country, including China, that attempts to interfere, influence or undermine the integrity of our democratic institutions, and we will take all necessary measures to protect UK national security.
That is why we have taken the action today and I am clear that further steps can absolutely be taken. Disrupting and deterring China’s espionage activity wherever it takes place, updating our security powers to keep pace with the threat, helping those who work in politics to recognise, resist and report the threat, and working with partners across the economy to strengthen their security against the threat.
Our strategy is not just to co-operate. We will engage China where necessary, but we will always act to defend our interests and challenge where our values are threatened.
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Updated at 14.10 CET
Jarvis says government willing to use sanctions to respond to cyber-attacks from Chinese firms
Jarvis says three Chinese firms involved in cyber-attacks have already been called out.
And the government will continue to fight back against malicious cyber-activity from China.
The government will use all the tools at its disposal, including sanctions if necessary.
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Jarvis says the government will also increase the support available to businesses to help them respond to the threat from cyber-espionage.
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Jarvis turns to education.
This is one of the UK’s most important assets, in part because of its respect for freedom of speech.
States like China are trying to interfer with research done by British universties, and influence what happens on campus.
He says the government has raised this with China.
But the government will also organise an event to discuss the threat with university leaders.
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Jarvis says, as security minister, he sees the diligence of law enforcement.
Knowing China’s low-threshold for spying, the government is investing £170m sovereign encrypted technology for use by official bodies.
Surveillance technology linked to China has been removed from UK sites, he says.
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Jarvis says penalties of election interference are going to be increased
Jarvis says Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, has spoken to her Chinese counterpart about this.
She said any activity that threatened democracy would not be tolerated, he says.
He says today he is announcing a counter-interference and espionage plan.
This will include legislative changes, including a bill tightening the rules on foreign donations, the elections bill. There will be tougher risk assesssment rules for donors and recipients. Penalties for election interference offences will be increased.
There will also be new guidance for politicians and candidates, including security briefings for parties.
And the government will take steps to “degrade the ecosystem of proxy cover companies”. These are organisations being used by foreign states, he says.
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Updated at 13.57 CET
Jarvis tells MPs Chinese spying operation amounts to interference in British democracy
Jarvis says MI5 issued an espionage alert earlier today to MPs, peers and parliamentary staff. (See 12.18pm.)
He urges all parliamentarians to read it.
He says China is trying to contact MPs and peers to get sensitive information about parliament.
He says Chinese agents are trying to contact with access to this sensitive information. They are sometimes posing as headhunters, or as people working for cover companies. He says there is a low threshold for the sort of information they find useful.
This is an attempt to interfere in British politics, he says.
Jarvis added the government will not tolerate “covert and calculated” attempts by China to interfere with the UK’s sovereign affairs.
UPDATE: Jarvis said:
Let me speak plainly.
This activity involves a covert and calculated attempt by a foreign power to interfer in our sovereign affairs in favour of its own interests, and this government will not tolerate it.
It builds on a pattern of activity that we have seen from China with cyber-operations by China state-affiliated actors targeting parliamentary emails in 2021, attempted foreign interference activity by Christine Lee in 2022 and other more recent cases.
We will take all necessary measures to protect our national interests, our citizens and our democratic way of life, including working with our allies and partners.
Dan Jarvis speaking in the Commons Photograph: HoCShare
Updated at 14.30 CET
Dan Jarvis, security minister, makes statement to MPs about spying by China
Dan Jarvis, the security minister, is making his statement now.
He says it is about Chinese espionage targeting democratic institutions in the UK.
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Ofcom receives complaints over GB News item on defendants’ ‘foreign-sounding names’
GB News has been accused of risking inflaming tensions over crime committed by migrants after presenting unscientific research that counted the number of defendants with “foreign-sounding names”, Michael Savage reports. One of the complaints came from Anna Sabine, the Liberal Democrats’ culture, media and sport spokesperson, who said the GB News methodology was “unverified and frankly racist”.
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Reform UK’s plan to further slash overseas aid would damage national interest, charities say
Peter Walker
Peter Walker is the Guardian’s senior political correspondent.
Reform UK’s plans to slash overseas aid by more than 90% would cause “irreversible” damage to the UK’s national interests and would cost money in the long term, aid groups have argued.
The proposal on aid was among a series of measures unveiled at a Reform press conference on Tuesday morning explicitly aimed at spending as little money as possible on foreign nationals.
Zia Yusuf, the party’s head of policy, said there would be a “hard cap” of £1bn a year, allowing commitments to Ukraine and to keep the UK’s place at multinational organisations like the UN and IMF but essentially nothing else.
Spending on overseas aid has already been reduced from 0.7% of national income to 0.5%, and will fall to 0.3% in 2027. Even at 0.3% of national income, aid spending will remain above £9bn annually. Under the Reform plan it would total about 0.03% of national income.
Gideon Rabinowitz from Bond, a network of UK NGOs, said the policy would “cause irreversible damage to the UK’s safety and national security in an increasingly unstable world, as well as to its global reputation as a reliable partner”.
He said:
Cutting the already-diminished UK aid budget will not fill the hole in the UK’s public finances and only create new challenges. UK aid brings a huge return on investment: it helps to prevent conflict and build peace in fragile countries, fights the spread of diseases before they reach our shores, and leads to fewer people forced to flee their homes due to conflict and crisis. Slashing UK aid now would mean paying far more later down the line in security, health, and humanitarian costs.
George Graham from Save the Children UK said:
Slashing the budget for international aid and co-operation won’t just turn our backs on children and partners around the world, it will undermine our national interest.
Covid 19 was a stark demonstration that no-one is safe until everyone is. And the UK’s security and economy depend on global stability. Conflict, poverty, and climate disasters drive displacement, fuel instability, and ultimately threaten our safety at home.
Our recent polling with More in Common shows that more than 60% of people think the UK should either be a leader or play a large role in international affairs. The public know that you don’t create prosperity by pretending global issues don’t exist.
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MPs warned to avoid China-linked agents trying to contact them on LinkedIn, ahead of statement by security minister
Dan Jarvis, the security minister, will soon make a statement to MPs about spying by China. (See 11.41am.)
Ahead of that, MPs and peers have just been sent an email from the parliamentary authorities highlighting an espionage alert sent by MI5. It says:
This alert highlights how the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) is actively reaching out to individuals in our community. Their aim is to collect information and lay the groundwork for long-term relationships, using professional networking sites, recruitment agents and consultants acting on their behalf.
The alert names two recruitment headhunters who are said to be “using LinkedIn profiles to conduct outreach at scale on behalf of MSS”. And it says “other similar profiles are acting as fronts for espionage”.
The email says the alert was issued by MI5 because “the activity is targeted and widespread”.
It also urges MPs and peers to read guidance on how to stay safe on networking sites. And it urges them to report any suspicious activities.
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Updated at 13.19 CET
There are two ministerial statements in the Commons after 12.30pm.
12.30pm: Dan Jarvis, the security minister, on spying by China, and the government’s response.
Around 1.30pm: Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, on Gaza and Sudan.
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Badenoch accuses Reform UK of deceiving voters with claim it could easily abandon post-Brexit EU trade deal
At her press conference Kemi Badenoch accused Nigel Farage of deceiving voters with his proposal to save £6bn a year by removing benefits from EU nationals with settled status.
She said it was “completely ridiculous” for Farage to claim that he could easily renegotiate the post-Brexit trade deal (which covered the rights for EU nationals with settled status). She said
It would be a bad idea because we spent a lot of time negotiating those rights, not just for EU citizens in this country, but British citizens in other countries of the EU.
You start unpicking that and you start unpicking all of the work that was done, year after year after year, with a lot of pain and effort during those years when we were negotiating Brexit.
Badenoch also said Farage “does not know what he’s talking about”.
I’m a former trade secretary. Even with friendly countries, trade negotiations are very, very difficult.
It is wrong of him to deceive people, lie to them and make them think this is going to be easy.
Kemi Badenoch and Mel Stride holding their press conference. Photograph: Lucy North/PAShare
The Reform UK press conference is over. It covered aid spending and immigration. This morning Chris Mullin, the former Labour Foreign Office minister, made the point on social media that the two topics are linked.
Main driver of illegal migration is the disintegration of countries around periphery of fortress Europe. Only long term solution is to help them become functioning market economies. Yet, ironically, those who feel strongest about migration are equally opposed to overseas aid.
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Farege claims Reform UK could get ‘much better’ post-Brexit trade deal from EU
Q: [From Peter Walker from the Guardian] Have you modelled the consequences of your policy on EU nationals, if the EU were to hit back on trade?
Farage says the UK is still buying lots of cars and champagne from the EU. There are good and bad things that happen. He says he is confident that they can get a “much better” deal with the EU.
Q: And what do you feel about Matthew Goodwin, the new president of your student organisation, saying that minorty ethnic people born in the UK are not necessarily British. Doesn’t that show you are you no longer keeping the far-right at a distance, as you have done in the past?
Farage says Peter is right to say he has always kept the far-right at distance. He says that what Goodwin said was more nuanced than has been reported. And when they set up a youth wing, they knew that people would say difficult things, he says.
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Q: On what basis are you saying the NHS surcharge should be £2,718? And, when the surcharge has gone up in the past, the exemptions have increased too.
Farage says, if he tried to go to Australia and did not have the funds, he would be let in.
Yusuf says the £2,718 figure is based on a government figure based on the per capita cost of the NHS. The last government set the NHS surcharge at just 38% of that, he says.
And he says the birth rate for non-UK nationals is 30% higher than it is for Britons. He says each birth costs the NHS £5,500.
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