8 h. ago MingYang: Government ministers warned against 'handing over' energy grid to Chinese Communist Party

It comes after GCHQ warned that China has the potential to shut down the national grid in a cyber security attack

Politics

17 h. ago Revealed: How SNP ministers have wooed controversial Chinese firm MingYang for floating wind investment

Scottish Government ministers have met with the company several times despite national security concerns.

Politics

41 h. ago ‘You’re in spy territory’: how two UK nationals got tangled in a Chinese espionage row

The Met’s elite SO15 unit alleged a parliamentary researcher helped his friend create 34 reports for a shadowy frontFor Christopher Cash it was а job he adored. The young parliamentary researcher, then in his late 20s, was a China specialist working successively for two influential backbenchers, Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kearns. He had a parliamentary pass and was plugged into Westminster’s gossip network during 2022, a year of Conservative turmoil in Westminster, three prime ministers and future policy uncertainty.At the same time, Cash was in close contact with a friend, Christopher Berry, a teacher based in Hangzhou, eastern China, where the Britons had first met five years earlier. They discussed politics constantly, using an encrypted app. At one point, on 18 July, Berry allegedly told him he had met a senior Chinese Communist party leader (though he now denies meeting anybody of that rank). In a reply the next day, Cash said: “You’re in spy territory now.” Continue reading...

Politics

56 h. ago China expels No. 2 general and 8 others from the Communist Party in anti

China’s No. 2 general and eight other senior officials have been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and the military on suspicion of serious official misconduct linked to corruption

Politics

4 d. ago The Guardian view on the China spy trial: an opportunity for Labour to prove it understands the threat from Beijing | Editorial

Dispelling confusion about the collapsed case would build confidence that the government has a coherent policyNo single word describes the challenge that China poses for UK foreign policy. There is threat and opportunity; a requirement to engage and an imperative to be guarded. The Communist party in Beijing represses dissent and pursues its interests overseas with coercive nationalist determination. It is not a regime with which Britain can build a relationship based on common values.But China is also a superpower with near-monopoly control of some mineral resources and pre-eminence in important manufacturing supply chains. Trusting friendship is not an option; hostile rejection is unrealistic. It is not easy to manage relations through private diplomacy, let alone under public scrutiny. But Sir Keir Starmer’s government has looked especially awkward in its response to the collapse of a high-profile espionage case, involving the alleged transmission of secrets from inside parliamen...

Events

4 d. ago One part of the UK might escape Starmer’s smoking ban, minister admits

Prime minister was warned his flagship plans could see him end up in court over key agreement with the European Union, designed to deal with major issues caused by Britain’s exit from the bloc

Politics

4 d. ago Muir ‘fast losing patience’ with Infrastructure Department over water pollution

The Agriculture Minister also warned that Belfast Lough ‘has the potential to become the next Lough Neagh’.

Politics

4 d. ago Russia could strike ‘deep into Europe’, Poland’s foreign minister warns

Radoslaw Sikorski urged European leaders to invest in a drone wall to defend the continent’s eastern flank

Events

4 d. ago Health minister hails ‘remarkable success’ of drive to tackle waiting lists

However Health Minister Mike Nesbitt warned of the impact a nurses strike could have this winter if they do not receive pay parity.

Politics

4 d. ago Ukraine war briefing: Poland minister shows Shahed drone and warns of ‘deep’ Russian threat

Radoslaw Sikorski, speaking in London, urges drone wall and three-year plan to back Ukraine; Odesa mayor’s ‘citizenship suspended’. What we know on day 1,330 Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago South Africa's health minister hails new HIV prevention jab but warns of limited supply

South Africa's health minister has called lenacapavir, the first twice-yearly HIV prevention jab, a "groundbreaking" tool against the disease

Events

6 d. ago Furious Speaker hits out at ministers over China spying scandal and warns parliament is not getting protection

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle accused the Government of failing to protect MPs after Parliament was 'spied on' by China.

Events

6 d. ago Britain is 'at risk of falling into a Chinese debt trap' amid spy saga

Chinese investment in the UK economy is substantial and leading economists have voiced fears that could lead to a dependence on the Asian superpower and its ruling Communist Party (CCP).

Events

8 d. ago Keir Starmer's security adviser Jonathan Powell is 'too close to China', Labour cabinet ministers warn

Jonathan Powell is facing scrutiny across the political divide after he reportedly refused to call Beijing an 'enemy' of the UK in evidence for the case.

Events

1 week ago No more bailouts to fund public sector pay rises, cabinet ministers warned

Labour chancellor Rachel Reeves tightens purse strings ahead of difficult Autumn Budget

Events

1 week ago Scots households would be £10,000 better off with independence, paper claims

First Minister John Swinney warned of a ‘rightward shift’ in the UK.

Economics

1 week ago Why I'm convinced Starmer must have played a role in the collapse of this prosecution: Tom Tugendhat

During the past 12 months, the Labour Government has turned capitulation to the Chinese Communist Party into a shoddy kind of art.

Politics

1 week ago Canadian marine park threatens to euthanize 30 whales if government does not provide funding

Marineland’s warning comes after Canadian official blocked the transfer of the beluga whales to a theme park in ChinaMarineland has threatened to euthanize 30 beluga whales if Canada’s federal government does not provide financial support for the embattled Niagara Falls amusement park. The warning comes after the country’s fisheries minister blocked the transfer of the captive whales to a theme park in China.Marineland, an amusement park, zoo, aquarium and forest occupying nearly 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of land in Ontario, has endured mounting scrutiny over allegations the animals are living in poor conditions. The park, which once saw millions of visitors, did not open for the summer season and is winding down its operations in anticipation of a sale. In February, a lawyer for the park said it was planning to “expeditiously” remove the remaining animals still on the grounds. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Marine park threatens to euthanize 30 whales if Canada does not provide funding

Marineland’s warning comes after Canadian official blocked the transfer of the beluga whales to a theme park in ChinaMarineland has threatened to euthanize 30 beluga whales if Canada’s federal government does not provide financial support for the embattled Niagara Falls amusement park. The warning comes after the country’s fisheries minister blocked the transfer of the captive whales to a theme park in China.Marineland, an amusement park, zoo, aquarium and forest occupying nearly 1,000 acres (400 hectares) of land in Ontario, has endured mounting scrutiny over allegations the animals are living in poor conditions. The park, which once saw millions of visitors, did not open for the summer season and is winding down its operations in anticipation of a sale. In February, a lawyer for the park said it was planning to “expeditiously” remove the remaining animals still on the grounds. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Chilling World War 3 warning as 'hybrid war already underway' in Europe

Denmark's Prime Minister has warned of a possible 'hybrid war' unfolding across Europe - following a series of drone incursions, cyber attacks and sabotage operations targeting key infrastructure

Events