How to avoid another Chinese spy scandal

As the fallout continues from the latest China spy scandal, it is hard not to conclude that Labour’s policy on Beijing – as far as one can be identified – adds up to appeasement in the vain hope of some economic crumbs from the Emperor’s table. It will certainly be seen by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a green light for stepping up what Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, has described as ‘a sustained campaign on a pretty epic scale’.

‘National security is the most important issue of our times,’ said Keir Starmer at the time of 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, a few weeks before the general election. And yet in office he remains reluctant to confront what by most measures – and certainly in the view of our increasingly frustrated intelligence services – is the biggest threat to Britain.

The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) is a key case in point.