China pirated cell phones from the British PM’s office for years

China was hacking the cell phones of members of the cabinet of British Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, between 2021 and 2024.

The news that, for years, the China hacked the cell phones of senior officials at the official residence and office of three British prime ministers resulted from an investigation carried out and published this Tuesday by .

Computer hackers working in Beijing, said the same newspaper, will have placed wiretaps on the phones of some of the closest advisers to former prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, between 2021 and 2024.

Sources cited by The Telegraph indicated that the Chinese espionage went “straight to the heart of Downing Street” and may have accessed text messages or calls involving senior members of the government, although it does not specify whether the attack also affected former heads of government.

Starmer may also have been exposed

Other sources from the US intelligence services told the newspaper that the Chinese espionage operation, dubbed “Operation Salt Typhoon”was still ongoing, increasing the possibility that they were also exposed the current Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, and his team.

The Telegraph’s investigation comes a day before Starmer’s trip to Chinathe first visit to the Asian powerhouse by a British head of state in eight years, to explore new trade and investment relationships.

Last week, the British government approved plans for a future Chinese embassy in the heart of historic London, despite warnings from British intelligence services (MI5, MI6) about potential espionage risks due to its strategic location close to sensitive communications networks.

MI5 issued a “spy alert” to Parliament in November about the threat from the Chinese state.