China allegedly hacked the mobile phones of aides to several UK prime ministers, British media outlet The Telegraph claimed in a report.
There has been no immediate reaction from China to The Telegraph's claims.
The allegations by the news outlet come as incumbent British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is visiting China this week from January 28 to January 31, seeking a thaw in relations with Beijing at a time of strained ties with the United States. It would be the first such trip since 2018.
Starmer is due to meet China’s President Xi Jinping during his visit. He is expected to be accompanied by UK Business Secretary Peter Kyle and dozens of corporate chiefs as Britain seeks Chinese technology and investment, alongside greater access to the world’s second-largest economy for UK financial services, cars and Scotch whisky.
The Telegraph report, published on Monday, claimed that the mobile phones of senior officials in Downing Street were compromised by Chinese state-sponsored hackers over several years.
The operation, allegedly codenamed Salt Typhoon, targeted aides close to former prime ministers, including Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak, between 2021 and 2024.
While it remains unclear whether the prime ministers’ personal devices were affected, the report said the breach reached “right into the heart of Downing Street.”
British spy agency MI5 reportedly issued an espionage alert to parliament last November, warning of Chinese spying threats.
Last month, the UK government sanctioned two tech companies based in China for “reckless and indiscriminate cyberattacks” against “the UK and its allies.”
Beijing blasted the decision, expressing “strong dissatisfaction,” and Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China “firmly opposes and cracks down on hacking activities in accordance with the law, and at the same time, resolutely opposes the dissemination of false information for political purposes.”
America’s allies look to China
Starmer’s visit to China comes as cracks are starting to appear in his attempt to strike up a warm relationship with Trump – efforts rewarded with a trade deal that reduced US tariffs on Britain’s key auto and aerospace industries.
Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London, said the trip comes as dramatic shifts in geopolitics create new opportunities for UK-Chinese relations.
But he said “Starmer is going to be talking to a very skeptical audience. Britain has not been very consistent in its relations with China. We have been very hot and cold,” Brown said.
For months Starmer refrained from public criticism as Trump attacked the mayor of London, slammed British immigration policy and sued the BBC for $10 billion.
But in recent days, Starmer has spoken out against Trump’s desire to take over Greenland – calling it “completely wrong” – and condemned Trump’s disparaging comments about the role of UK and other NATO troops in Afghanistan, which Starmer called “insulting” and “appalling.”
