Britain must ‘wake up’ to China security challenges, ex-MI6 head says

UK is reviewing its security measures after the US claimed to have downed a Chinese spy balloon

Britain must “wake up” to the challenges China presents to global security, a former head of MI6 has said, as questions have been raised over the UK’s ability to respond to threats. Alex Younger, who led Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service from 2014 to 2020, said that “trust is plummeting to zero” between Washington and Beijing.

Britain is reviewing its own security measures after the US shot down four flying objects, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon, during the past week. Sir Alex claimed that the UK is “in a competition” with China and that “we need to wake up to this”. “This is a gross and really visible transgression of the sovereignty of many nations,” he said of the alleged spy balloons.

On Tuesday morning, Lord Darroch, a former British ambassador to the US, questioned whether the UK had a “watertight capability” to deal with such spying, claiming there had been “underinvestment” in defence.