The Government has publicly accused China of cyber attacks on the electoral commission and MPs, a move described as an 'unacceptable' assault on UK democracy. Intelligence services suggest these attacks, likely conducted by Chinese spies, were aimed at targeting critics of Xi Jinping’s regime. In response, the UK has sanctioned individuals and a company associated with the hacking group and summoned China’s ambassador. The attacks, first identified in October 2022, had breached the electoral commission’s systems since August 2021, potentially exposing voter data. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) believes they were part of China’s large-scale espionage efforts. While they did not impact the UK’s paper-based electoral system, they posed significant threats to individual security. Rishi Sunak described China as presenting an 'epoch-defining challenge’, echoing concerns over its aggressive international behaviour.