Chinese state-sponsored hackers compromised the mobile phones of senior Downing Street officials for several years, exposing private communications to Beijing, according to a report by The Telegraph. The breach, which reportedly targeted aides to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak between 2021 and 2024, reached “right into the heart of Downing Street,” a well-placed source told the newspaper.
It is not known whether the phones of the prime ministers themselves were hacked, but US intelligence sources indicated that the espionage operation, known as Salt Typhoon, remains ongoing. This raises the possibility that Keir Starmer and his senior staff may also have been exposed. The hackers could have read text messages, listened to calls, or accessed phone metadata.
MI5 issued an alert to Parliament in November about the Chinese spy threat, but critics say Labour has jeopardised national security by taking a soft line in the hope of securing trade deals. The prime minister is due to visit China this week to strengthen trade and investment ties, and the government has approved plans for a Chinese mega-embassy in London.
Alicia Kearns, a shadow minister for national security, said: “How much more evidence does this Government need before it ends its simpering to Xi and stands tall as the great country we are and defends us? Labour is rewarding hostile acts against our state.” Anne Neuberger, a deputy US national security adviser, described the global breach as “one of maybe the more successful campaigns in the history of espionage,” with hackers able to “record phone calls at will”.
Intelligence sources suggest Britain’s telecommunications networks were better protected than those in the US, citing the 2021 Telecommunications Security Act. However, The Telegraph reported there were many different attacks on Downing Street staff, particularly while Rishi Sunak was prime minister. The Chinese embassy dismissed the claims as “baseless” and “lacking evidence”.
