Dowden guarantees UK elections will be safe from Chinese cyber attacks

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Oliver Dowden mentioned he may assure the elections this 12 months would be safe from Chinese cyber attacks and insisted UK nationwide safety wouldn’t be put in danger by Chinese-made good autos.

The Deputy Prime Minister mentioned the native elections in May and the overall election later in 2024 “will be safe and secure”, after earlier formally blaming Beijing for an assault on the Electoral Commission which uncovered the non-public information of 40 million voters.

In an announcement to the House of Commons, he introduced sanctions on two folks and an entity related to Chinese state-linked hacking group APT31.

Speaking to the PA information company in a while Monday, he expressed confidence the electoral course of would be safe from Chinese espionage.

Mr Dowden mentioned: “Yes, I can guarantee that our electoral processes will be safe and secure.

“That is not to say there isn’t an increasingly hostile landscape against which all elections around the world are being conducted.”

He added that “it’s precisely because we’re in this year of elections when we face this heightened risk from malign actors” akin to China, appearing in co-operation with states together with Russia, Iran and North Korea, that it is necessary that “nations that believe in democracy, openness, the rule of law stand together”.

Pressed on why the motion was solely being taken now, when the Electoral Commission assault was recognized in October 2022, the Deputy Prime Minister mentioned it was necessary to have “a robust evidence base” and a “united and concerted front” with the United States.

The UK’s elevated strain on China got here amid related motion from the US, which indicted a number of Chinese people accused of malicious cyber operations on Monday.

US President Joe Biden, citing attainable nationwide safety dangers, not too long ago introduced an investigation into Chinese-made good automobiles that may collect delicate details about Americans driving them.

Mr Dowden, requested whether or not the UK has related issues, insisted the Government would guarantee Chinese related autos had been safe.

“We’ll make sure that we protect the security of our transport infrastructure,” he mentioned.

“And of course, any new technology requires approval from safety authorities.

“And I know that the Secretary of State for Transport will ensure that any new technology that’s deployed on our roads is protected and secure.”

The minister additionally mentioned the UK saved all selections on Chinese nuclear funding “under review”, amid recent issues about Bradwell B, the proposed nuclear energy station at Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex, put ahead by China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN).

Mr Dowden mentioned: “Of course we keep all these decisions under review.

“But I believe that we’ve reached a sensible place in relation to this and working across Government and with our intelligence community, we’ll make sure that any nuclear investments are safe and secure.”