Former Tory leaders are queuing up to take a pop at the government’s response to the Westminster spy story. Liz Truss has labelled China the ‘largest threat’ to ‘democracy and freedom’ after it emerged that a parliamentary researcher had been arrested on suspicion of spying for the Chinese government. Iain Duncan Smith suggested that ‘the problem lies in the mess we have got into over whether we define China as a threat or not’.
So far, the government is doing its best to sit on the fence. Rishi Sunak has said he ‘will not accept’ Chinese interference in the UK’s democracy, but has refused to go much further. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden insisted ministers were ‘clear eyed’ about the challenges posed by Beijing, but added it was not realistic to ‘completely disengage’ with the country. It means there is little prospect for now of China being classed in the ‘enhanced tier’ of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which would require further checks on China-linked organisations operating in the UK.
It would be hard to suggest, of course, that Duncan Smith and Truss represent high points of Conservative leadership in the 21st century.
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