‘Feeble’ British sanctions will only embolden China, says Jenrick

Robert Jenrick has said that the “feeble” sanctions against China announced by Oliver Dowden “will only embolden China to continue its aggression towards the UK”.

The Deputy Prime Minister announced in the Commons that the National Cyber Security Centre - a part of GCHQ - had concluded that the Electoral Commission was highly likely compromised by a China state-affiliated cyber entity between 2021 and 2022.

The NCSC said it is almost certain that a China state-affiliated group called APT31 conducted reconnaissance activity against UK parliamentarians during a separate campaign in 2021.

Two individuals and a company linked to the APT31 hacking group have now been sanctioned by Britain.

But the former immigration minister accused the Government of “clearly not holding China to account” and called the action announced by the Deputy Prime Minister in response to the cyber attacks “feeble”.

Mr Jenrick wrote on X, formerly Twitter, after the announcement: “The Government clearly is not holding China to account for their attack on our democracy.

“Taking three years to sanction two individuals and a small company is derisory.

“This feeble response will only embolden China to continue its aggression towards the UK.”

You can follow the latest updates below and join the conversation in the comments section here. 

05:44 PM GMT

That is all for today..

Thank you for joining us for today’s politics live blog.

Jack Maidment will be back tomorrow to guide you through another day in Westminster.

05:30 PM GMT

Robert Jenrick accuses UK of ‘feeble response’ with China sanctions announcement

Robert Jenrick has accused the Government of a “feeble response” with its latest response to suspected Chinese cyber attacks.

In response to Mr Dowden’s statement in the Commons, Mr Jenrick wrote on X: “The Government clearly is not holding China to account for their attack on our democracy.

“Taking three years to sanction two individuals and a small company is derisory.”

The former Home Office minister added: “This feeble response will only embolden China to continue its aggression towards the UK.”

05:11 PM GMT

Tory MP calls for ‘much greater sense of coherence’ across Government on China approach

The Government needs to have “a much greater sense of coherence” across departments about how to deal with China, a Tory MP has said.

Bob Seely, MP for the Isle of Wight, said: “Every time the Deputy Prime Minister comes here, he’s very eloquent in the plans that he lays out, he’s more assertive that we’re doing this bit new, and that bit new, as we react to the threat.

“Isn’t there an issue that we still need to have a much greater sense of coherence across all government departments about how we deal with this threat, whether it’s students, whether it’s protection of Hong Kong citizens, whether it’s intellectual property, or whether it’s cyber attacks?”

Oliver Dowden replied: “The sort of China that we had hoped for even a decade ago is not the China we have now whether it’s in relation to Hong Kong, whether it’s in relation to Xinjiang or elsewhere. We are continuing to increase our efforts.”

05:08 PM GMT

Dowden: ‘I can never be totally confident’ about our cyber-security

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden has admitted that “he can never be totally confident” in relation to the UK’s cyber-security.

SNP Cabinet Office spokesperson Kirsty Blackman asked in the Commons: “These attacks referenced on the electoral commission and the parliamentarian accounts happened nearly three years ago. Will we be sitting here in 2027 hearing about an attack that’s happening right now?”

She added: “Without more action can the Deputy Prime Minister give us real assurance that the general election that’s going to take place this year will take place without international interference?”

Mr Dowden said: “I can never be totally confident in relation to cyber-security, no government minister anywhere in the world can be, this is an environment in which the risks are escalating all the time, they have been turbo-charged by artificial intelligence, but I can assure (Ms Blackman) and other members of this House that we are constantly increasing our activity and our vigilance in the face of it.”

04:48 PM GMT

Government accused of ‘tinkering around the edges’ of China policy

Stewart Malcom Macdonald, SNP MP for Glasgow South and one of the MPs targeted, accused the Government of “tinkering around the edges” of its approach to China.

He told the Commons: “The Deputy Prime Minister has turned up at a gunfight with a wooden spoon. The attack that he stood at the despatch box and announced, happened three years ago, but he comes to the House and calls it swift.

“He comes to the House and says he’s taking robust action. But as my Hon friend mentioned earlier, the entity he sanctioned has fewer than 50 employees and a turnover of £200,000 a year. He hasn’t sanctioned a single Chinese state official yet.”

He also called for China to be added to the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme register, adding: “Isn’t it the case that if we don’t take more robust action, and see a proper sea change in government thinking, rather than this tinkering around the edges, this will happen more and more and get worse and worse?”

04:41 PM GMT

Downing Street rejects claims of softened stance on China since Lord Cameron became Foreign Secretary

Downing Street has rejected claims from Tory China hawks that it had softened its stance on China since Lord Cameron became Foreign Secretary.

Asked why the announcement was not made when the Electoral Commission attack was identified in 2022, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “There’s been an investigation working with international partners since then.

“In a case like this it’s important that a complex and sensitive investigation like this is obviously done properly ahead of announcing action and holding the individuals to account.”

Asked whether he rejected Tory China critics’ assertion that the Government has softened its stance on China since Lord Cameron became Foreign Secretary, the official said: “Correct.”

Responding to concerns about further attacks on Whitehall departments using the same software as the Electoral Commission, he said: “We have a range of measures in place to protect UK systems and national infrastructure from cyber threats.”

04:36 PM GMT

‘Appalling’ Princess of Wales speculation reminder to use ‘valid and trusted’ sources online, says Dowden

The Deputy Prime Minister has said that the “appalling speculation” about the Princess of Wales before she announced her cancer diagnosis last Friday showed the importance of “valid and trusted information” online.

Sir Michael Ellis, former attorney general, raised a report from The Telegraph today that Whitehall sources believe China, Russia and Iran are fuelling disinformation about the Princess of Wales to destabilise the nation.

“Will the Deputy Prime Minister agree with me that British people will obviously ignore this grotesque disinformation, despite the pathetic attempts of those autocratic regimes?”

Mr Dowden said: “The appalling speculation that we have seen over the past few weeks comes as a reminder to us all, but it’s important for us to ensure that we deal with valid and trusted information and that we are appropriately sceptical about many online sources.”

04:26 PM GMT

No10: Foreign Secretary has summoned the Chinese ambassador

The Foreign Secretary has summoned the Chinese ambassador to London to make clear that Beijing’s actions “will not be tolerated”, No 10 said, Amy Gibbons reports.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman confirmed that Lord Cameron had requested a meeting in the capital with Zheng Zeguang.

He said: “The Foreign Secretary has summoned China’s ambassador to London to make clear that this behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”

Asked when the meeting was scheduled, he said: “I don’t believe it’s already happened. I understand the Foreign Secretary has summoned the ambassador.”

04:25 PM GMT

Suella Braverman calls for China to be added to the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme

Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, has called for China to be added to the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme register, asking Mr Dowden: “If not now, then when?”

She told the Commons: “It’s abundantly clear that China is a hostile state and poses an unprecedented threat to our national security. As home secretary, I oversaw the enactment of the National Security Act, which built the foreign influence registration scheme designed specifically to deal with these threats so that our authorities have the right powers to tackle them.

“Isn’t there a compelling case for China to be listed on that register, and if not now, then when?”

Mr Dowden replied: “There is a strong case for it, the Rt Hon lady will be aware of the process that we go through in determining that. It has to be agreed through a collective government agreement.”

04:18 PM GMT

Sir Iain Duncan-Smith: Deputy PM statement ‘like an elephant giving birth to a mouse’

Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan-Smith has compared the announcement by Mr Dowden to “an elephant giving birth to a mouse”.

Mr Dowden replied: “Nobody should be in any doubt about the gravity of this matter. They’re not the actions of a friendly state, and they do require our serious attention. This, as has been described by the Rt Hon gentleman, is an escalating situation. The measures we’ve announced today are the first step but the Government will respond proportionately at all times in relation to the facts in front of it.”

04:05 PM GMT

Oliver Dowden: This is a ‘grave moment’

The Deputy Prime Minister said that MPs should take this moment in the Commons and his announcement “very seriously”.

“In terms of our relationship with China more broadly, I think members of this House should take this moment very seriously. It is a grave moment.”

He added: “We will take proportionate action in response to that escalating threat.”

03:57 PM GMT

Pat McFadden raises questions over Lord Cameron addressing Tory MPs

Pat McFadden was critical of Lord Cameron addressing the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs later today (see the post below at 11.16).

The Labour frontbencher asked Oliver Dowden: “Given the importance of national and democratic security to all the parties in this House, is the Deputy Prime Minister intending to arrange a briefing for the Leader of the Opposition, the Intelligence and Security Committee or indeed the other political parties represented in this House?”

03:54 PM GMT

UK’s democratic integrity cannot be compromised, says Labour

Pat McFadden, the shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said Labour supported the Government’s efforts to prevent cyber attacks.

He also told the House of Commons: “The economic relationship between the United Kingdom and China can never mean compromising on national security or our democratic integrity.”

03:49 PM GMT

National Cyber Security Centre publishing new guidance on cyber attacks

Oliver Dowden said the National Cyber Security Centre is today publishing new guidance to help parliamentarians and organisations prevent cyber attacks.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the guidance will help them to “take effective action to protect their systems and their data”.

03:45 PM GMT

‘Clear and persistent pattern of behaviour that signals hostile intent from China’

Oliver Dowden said any hostile cyber activity directed towards UK parliamentarians was “completely unacceptable”.

He said the two attacks demonstrated a “clear and persistent pattern of behaviour that signals hostile intent from China”.

The Deputy Prime Minister announced the UK has sanctioned two individuals and a company linked to a Chinese state-affiliated group.

Mr Dowden also said the Foreign Office will be summoning China’s ambassador to the UK to “account for China’s conduct in these incidents”.

03:41 PM GMT

Dowden: Chinese hackers responsible for two cyber attacks on UK

Oliver Dowden said hackers affiliated to the Chinese state were responsible for two malicious cyber campaigns targeting democratic institutions and parliamentarians.

The first related to a hack on the Electoral Commission and the second related to activity targeted at parliamentarians.

The Deputy Prime Minister said neither of the hacks had succeeded.

03:37 PM GMT

Dowden: UK targeted with ‘malicious’ cyber activity

Oliver Dowden is now on his feet in the House of Commons as he delivers a statement on cyber attacks.

The Deputy Prime Minister told MPs that there had been “malicious” cyber activity taken against the UK and it was carried out by actors “affiliated to the Chinese state”.

03:24 PM GMT

Treasury confirms Scott Benton no longer an MP

The Treasury has just issued its traditional message to announce that Scott Benton is no longer an MP (see the post below at 14.59).

It said: “The Chancellor of the Exchequer has this day appointed Scott Lloyd Benton to be Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.”

03:18 PM GMT

Sunak refused to meet me for a year to discuss legal migration, says Braverman

Rishi Sunak refused to meet Suella Braverman for a year to discuss cutting legal migration, the former home secretary has claimed.

Mrs Braverman said the Prime Minister had not regarded soaring levels of net migration as “an important issue for the British people”.

You can read the full story here. 

02:59 PM GMT

Scott Benton formally resigns as MP

Scott Benton has formally resigned as the MP for Blackpool South.

The former Tory MP said in a statement on his website: “It’s with a heavy heart that I have written to the Chancellor this morning to tender my resignation as your MP.

“I’d like to thank the hundreds of residents who have sent supportive messages, cards and letters over the last few months and who have urged me to continue and fight the next election. The support that so many local people have given to me has made it all worthwhile.”

Mr Benton was subject to a recall petition in his constituency after he was suspended from the Commons for 35 days after he was caught in a lobbying sting.

His decision to resign means there is no longer a need for the recall petition. A by-election date will now be set to choose his successor.

02:55 PM GMT

Up next: Dowden to deliver statement in Commons on cyber attacks

Oliver Dowden will deliver a statement in the House of Commons just after 3.30pm.

02:30 PM GMT

Britain must be ‘much stronger’ in its dealings with Beijing

The UK must be “much stronger” in its dealings with China, Sir Iain Duncan Smith argued.

The former Cabinet minister said he believed Beijing would “probably back down” if it faced tougher opposition.

Sir Iain told a press conference: “We need to be much stronger and tougher and if you are tough with people, the lesson we learned from the 1930s, appeasement never works, if you are strong you tell them what is wrong and you tell them you are not going to put up with it, then eventually they will probably back down.

“But if you don’t, they just keep taking advantage of you and that is our biggest problem.”

02:10 PM GMT

UK must label China a ‘threat’, not just a challenge, says IDS

Sir Iain Duncan Smith urged the Government to toughen its stance on China and formally label Beijing a “threat” to the UK.

The former Tory leader urged the Government to do four things:

1. To immediately label Beijing “as a threat, not as an epoch-defining, systemic challenge in the Integrated Review”.

2. To put China into the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme.

3. To impose sanctions on those who are “responsible for the abuses, not just in Hong Kong but obviously in Xinjiang”.

4. To offer more support to MPs and other victims of “Beijing’s transnational repression”.

02:06 PM GMT

UK must deal with Chinese Communist Party ‘as it really is’, says IDS

There needs to be a “new era of relations with China”, Sir Iain Duncan Smith told a press conference in Westminster this afternoon.

He said: “We must now enter a new era of relations with China, dealing with the contemporary Chinese Communist Party as it really is, not as we would wish it to be.”

02:02 PM GMT

Sir Iain Duncan Smith: MPs won’t be bullied into silence by China

Sir Iain Duncan Smith said he and other critics of the Chinese government will not be “bullied into silence by Beijing”.

He argued the West had been “too passive” in challenging China over its activities abroad.

The former leader of the Conservative Party told a press conference in Westminster this afternoon: “Neither we nor other parliamentary colleagues will be bullied into silence by Beijing.

“For years the behaviour of the Chinese government has gone unchecked and we have been too passive here in the West, particularly here in the UK, as Beijing overseas influence operations have rapidly expanded, turning a blind eye to what the Intelligence and Security Committee termed penetration of every sector of the UK economy.

“Still, incredibly, there is a debate within the UK Government, we understand, over whether or not China should be in the enhanced tier of the new foreign influence registration scheme.”

01:55 PM GMT

Sir Iain Duncan Smith: MPs subjected to ‘attempted hacking from China for some time’

Sir Iain Duncan Smith said that he and other MPs had been “subjected to harassment, impersonation and attempted hacking from China for some time”.

He told a press conference in Westminster: “Together with other members of the parliamentary activists and dissidents in IPAC (Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China), we have been subjected to harassment, impersonation and attempted hacking from China for some time.

“We take this opportunity to highlight that while extremely unwelcome, our discomfort pales in comparison to Chinese dissidents who risk their lives to oppose the Chinese Communist Party.

“It is high time that they received much greater support from their host governments.”

01:51 PM GMT

Three MPs hold press conference on Chinese cyber attacks

Three MPs who are thought to have been targeted by Chinese hackers are holding a press conference in Westminster.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Tim Loughton and Stewart McDonald are addressing the press.

01:48 PM GMT

Government reduces stake in NatWest to below 30 per cent

The Government’s stake in NatWest Group has dropped to below 30 per cent for the first time since the bank was nationalised in the 2008 financial crisis.

A stock exchange announcement today confirmed that the Treasury’s stake in the bank, which also owns Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Coutts, is now 29.82 per cent, down by a little over one percentage point.

It leaves the Government with a stake worth a little under £7 billion.

01:36 PM GMT

Pictured: Ed Miliband, the shadow energy secretary, gestures during visit to Port of Holyhead

01:21 PM GMT

Penny Mordaunt would be best Tory leader, say councillors

Penny Mordaunt would make the best leader of the Conservative Party, Tory councillors have said.

The Commons Leader, who was recently named as the preferred candidate among Right-wing MPs plotting to oust the Prime Minister, has now emerged as the most popular figure in a survey of 391 Conservative councillors.

The poll, conducted by Savanta, asked Tory councillors in England, Scotland and Wales to select their preferred candidate from a shortlist of six.

Ms Mordaunt was the most popular, with 30 per cent of councillors selecting her when asked: “Which of the following do you think would make the best leader of the Conservative party?”

You can read the full story here. 

12:57 PM GMT

Pictured: Humza Yousaf visits a community project in Edinburgh

12:46 PM GMT

No 10: ‘Eyes wide open when it comes to China’

The UK has its “eyes wide open when it comes to China”, Downing Street said as the Government is expected to blame Beijing for cyber attacks on the Electoral Commission and parliamentarians.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We have our eyes wide open when it comes to China.

“The Integrated Review Refresh set out that the UK regards China under the Chinese Communist Party as an epoch-defining challenge and as the biggest state-based threat to our economic security.”

12:34 PM GMT

Confirmed: Oliver Dowden to deliver statement in Commons at 3.30pm

12:23 PM GMT

Pictured: Khan launches poster campaign ahead of London mayor election

12:02 PM GMT

Sunak: ‘Dangerous fiction’ to believe UK could live without nuclear deterrent

11:45 AM GMT

Tories have overseen ‘renaissance’ in nuclear industry, claims PM

The Conservatives have overseen a “renaissance” in the UK’s nuclear industry, Rishi Sunak argued this morning.

Asked about comments made by Andrew Bowie, the nuclear minister, that plans for the sector should have been set out “years ago” (see the post below at 08.34), Mr Sunak told reporters at BAE Systems Submarines in Barrow: “What we have seen under the Conservatives has been a renaissance in the nuclear industry and that’s because the Conservative Party is one that unequivocally backs nuclear power and our nuclear deterrent.

“That just hasn’t been the case under the last Labour government. These decisions do take time, but if you look at what’s happened since 2010, we have green-lighted Sizewell C [and] Hinckley Point, so two nuclear power stations, we are making progress on small modular reactors and we have recommitted to our nuclear deterrent and a new generation of nuclear submarines and a replacement warhead. All of that has happened under a Conservative Government.”

11:36 AM GMT

Beijing ‘increasingly assertive’ on world stage, warns Sunak

Rishi Sunak said China is “behaving in an increasingly assertive way abroad” ahead of an expected Government announcement of fresh sanctions against Beijing over cyber attacks.

The Prime Minister repeated his stance that Beijing presented an “epoch-defining challenge”.

Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to Barrow-in-Furness today, Mr Sunak said: “We’ve been very clear that the situation now is that China is behaving in an increasingly assertive way abroad, authoritarian at home and it represents an epoch-defining challenge, and also the greatest state-based threat to our economic security.

“So, it’s right that we take measures to protect ourselves, which is what we are doing.”

Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, is expected to tell MPs this afternoon that Beijing was behind a wave of cyber attacks against MPs and peers, as well as a hack on the Electoral Commission.

Mr Sunak would not be drawn on what Mr Dowden will say but said: “When it comes to cyber, we have the National Cyber Security Centre, which is world leading. Indeed, when I’m out and about across the world, other leaders want to learn and talk to us because they believe that our capabilities in this country are very strong.”

11:26 AM GMT

Pictured: PM and Chancellor visit Barrow-in-Furness after nuclear investment announcement

11:16 AM GMT

Lib Dem backlash over Lord Cameron address to Tory MPs

Lord Cameron is due to address a private meeting of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories this evening, prompting calls for the Foreign Secretary to answer questions from all MPs.

Lord Cameron will be speaking to Tory MPs behind closed doors in Parliament at 5pm as the committee holds its weekly meeting.

But Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrats’ foreign affairs spokesperson, said: “When we’re facing such serious national security threats, it is outrageous that only Conservative backbenchers will hear from the Foreign Secretary and have the chance to question him, not all MPs.

“For over half a year, MPs have been calling for David Cameron to answer questions in the House of Commons. With serious concerns about the threat to our democracy from the Chinese Government, the Foreign Secretary must make that happen as a matter of urgency.”

There has been a long-running debate since Lord Cameron’s return to the Cabinet about how MPs can best scrutinise him given he sits in the House of Lords rather than the Commons.

11:13 AM GMT

Pictured: Sir Keir Starmer visits north Wales to promote energy plan

11:01 AM GMT

Osborne: Tories will be in ‘significant downward shift’ if Reform overtake them

George Osborne said if Reform UK overtake the Tories in the opinion polls it will represent a “significant downward shift” in the “spiral” the Conservative Party currently finds itself in.

A YouGov poll published last week put the Tories on 19 per cent and Reform on 15 per cent.

Mr Osborne, the former chancellor, discussed the possibility of a “crossover” moment with Ed Balls on their Political Currency podcast.

Mr Osborne said: “We were talking on our podcast, weren’t we, last week about political spirals when things are going wrong for you and I can tell you that if Reform starts polling higher than the Tories that will be a significant downward shift in the spiral.”

10:47 AM GMT

Pictured: Sunak and Hunt visit engineering firm in Barrow-in-Furness

10:44 AM GMT

Boris Johnson praises those ‘tirelessly campaigning for independence and sovereignty in Belarus’

10:39 AM GMT

Labour: ‘New strategy’ needed to tackle state threats

Jo Stevens, the shadow Welsh secretary, has called for a new strategy for tackling threats from foreign states, as the Government is expected to say Beijing-linked hackers were behind a cyber attack on the Electoral Commission in 2021.

She told Kay Burley on Sky News: “We need a new strategy, which we have long been calling for, to tackle state threats with closer working between the Home Office and the Foreign Office to coordinate the UK’s strategic response to this growing threat both to domestic security and our electoral freedoms.”

10:13 AM GMT

Windfall tax will fund new Great British Energy firm, says Labour

Labour will fund its proposed new publicly-owned clean energy company through an extended windfall tax on oil and gas giants, one of the party’s frontbenchers said.

Jo Stevens, the shadow Welsh secretary, said the more than £8 billion needed to launch Great British Energy will be sourced from a 78 per cent windfall tax on oil and gas producers.

Ms Stevens told Times Radio Breakfast that Labour would also be “borrowing to invest, not borrowing to binge” in raising the funds needed for the “exciting, bold and ambitious plan”.

Ms Stevens added: “We’ve had no industrial strategy in this country for 14 years under the Tories.”

The Great British Energy company was described by Ms Stevens as a network of “jobs and infrastructure that will be built to last”.

09:56 AM GMT

Braverman accuses Labour of ‘vindictive attack on working families’

A furious row has erupted between Suella Braverman and Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, over Labour’s plan to impose VAT on private school fees.

Mrs Braverman wrote in a piece for The Telegraph that Labour’s plan amounted to a “tax on choice and aspiration”.

Ms Phillipson said that claim was “downright offensive” and argued “ambition and aspiration are for every family, not just those with money”.

But Mrs Barverman hit back this morning as she said it was “absolute nonsense again from Labour” and accused the Opposition of planning a “vindictive attack on working families”.

09:31 AM GMT

Ex-Cabinet minister: ‘We have to end our naivety on China’

Sir Simon Clarke said the UK must “end our naivety on China” ahead of an expected Government announcement of fresh sanctions against Beijing over cyber attacks.

The former Cabinet minister said that every time there is talk of a “reset” in relations there is then “fresh evidence of malign activity”.

He also suggested the UK should not make the “same mistake” with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, as it did with Vladimir Putin.

Sir Simon tweeted this morning: “We have to end our naivety on China.  Every time we talk about a reset, there is fresh evidence of malign activity. Hong Kong. The Uighurs. Taiwan. Attacking our democracy.

“If we blame ourselves for not seeing Putin’s true nature, why make the same mistake with Xi?”

09:11 AM GMT

UK will ‘stop at nothing’ to defend against cyber attacks

The Government will “stop at nothing” to protect Britons from cyber attacks, a minister said ahead of an expected announcement of fresh sanctions against China.

Oliver Dowden is expected to tell Parliament that Beijing is behind a wave of cyber attacks against MPs and peers, as well as accessing the personal details of 40 million voters in a hack on the election watchdog.

Andrew Bowie, the nuclear minister, said he could not comment on the speculation about China but told LBC: “The fact is that this Government has invested a lot of time, money and effort in ensuring that our cybersecurity capabilities are at the place they need to be, we’ve increased the powers of our intelligence and security community to be able to deal with these threats.

“And we will stop at nothing to ensure that the British people, our democracy, our freedom of speech and our way of life is defended.”

08:47 AM GMT

Starmer to set out Labour plans for publicly-owned clean energy company

Sir Keir Starmer will set out Labour’s plans for a publicly-owned clean energy company during a visit to North Wales today.

Jo Stevens, the shadow Welsh secretary, said Labour intended to create a “more patriotic economy”.

She told GB News: “We will set out our plans today for securing homegrown British energy.

“That will mean we will invest in clean energy generation that will cut bills for businesses and households across the country, create good well-paid jobs for people across the country as well, and at the same time take back control of our energy security so we are not relying on tyrants like Vladimir Putin.”

08:34 AM GMT

UK ‘running to catch up’ on nuclear energy, admits minister

A minister admitted the UK is “running to catch up” when it comes to nuclear energy.

Andrew Bowie, the minister for nuclear and renewables, said action to increase the use of nuclear power in the UK should have been taken “years ago”.

The Government today announced new funding to boost skills and jobs in the nuclear industry.

Told that the UK was struggling to maintain its nuclear deterrent as well as its nuclear energy sector, Mr Bowie told Times Radio: “I make no bones about it, we should have done this years ago, we are running to catch up but we have just this year delivered our civil nuclear road map, we have announced our intention to build a third gigawatt project, we are investing £350 million in new nuclear power to ease Vladimir Putin out out of the nuclear fuels market.

“We are absolutely committed to delivering small modular reactors through our competition which will conclude this year.

“But of course this should have been done years ago which is why we are having to take the action in the way that we are right now.”

08:18 AM GMT

‘Full confidence’ in nuclear deterrent, says minister as new investment announced

The Government has “full confidence” in the UK’s nuclear deterrent, a minister said this morning as a new investment package was unveiled.

Rishi Sunak will today declare a “critical national endeavour” to secure the future of the UK’s nuclear industry with new investment aimed at boosting skills and jobs amid concerns about defence spending.

It was suggested to Andrew Bowie, the minister for nuclear and renewables, that the UK’s nuclear submarine fleet was feeling the strain.

He told Times Radio: “We have got full confidence in our submariners, in the Royal Navy and in our ability to maintain our continuous at sea deterrent, something we have been doing for over 55 years.

“But it is time for a refresh, that is why we have such an ambitious programme in the Dreadnought programme, combined with our Aukus programme and our civil nuclear defence projects.

“That is why we are making the announcement that we are today to increase our workforce here, delivering these nuclear projects, by about 40,000 people.”

08:14 AM GMT

Cyber attacks taken ‘incredibly seriously’, says minister amid expected crackdown on China

A minister said it is “imperative” British nationals are protected online from “malign actors” as the Government prepares to announce fresh sanctions on China over cyber attacks.

Andrew Bowie, the minister for nuclear and renewables, said the Government takes the threat of online interference “incredibly seriously” as he suggested measures to combat the problem are going to be toughened up.

The threat of Chinese state interference in British democracy is due to be raised in the House of Commons this afternoon by Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister.

He is expected to say Beijing was behind a wave of cyber attacks against MPs and peers, as well as accessing the personal details of 40 million voters in a hack on the Electoral Commission.

Mr Bowie told Times Radio: “The Government takes the security of this country, as we were talking about our nuclear deterrent, the physical safety and security, but also the cyber security of this country incredibly seriously which is why we have bolstered the intelligence and security apparatus that we have through the various Acts of Parliament in the last few years and it is why I am sure we will be hearing much more today about the steps we are going to take moving forward.

“It is imperative that democracy, freedom of speech and that British nationals are protected online from any malign influence and that includes from malign actors, be that state actors or other actors.”

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