DAILY MAIL COMMENT: It's time to get tough on China's spying
News that the Government suspects China of being behind the massive hack of a payroll system used by the Ministry of Defence should surprise nobody.
Beijing has a long track record of conducting cyber attacks as a way of undermining Western democracies to serve its own malign interests.
In the latest incident, hackers harvested the personal details – including names and bank details – of more than 250,000 serving and former members of the Armed Forces.
While it's reassuring to be told no sensitive operational information was obtained, this security breach is deeply troubling.
China could easily use the stolen data to blackmail service personnel into divulging secrets which will help give it an edge militarily. And by hoovering up this and other databases on an industrial scale, Beijing can search for weaknesses in British society and national security.
![British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps attending a cabinet meeting in London yesterday](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/08/00/84588987-13393789-image-a-68_1715125215559.jpg)
British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps attending a cabinet meeting in London yesterday
![The Government suspects China of being behind the massive hack of a payroll system used by the Ministry of Defence](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/08/00/84588989-13393789-image-a-69_1715125218861.jpg)
The Government suspects China of being behind the massive hack of a payroll system used by the Ministry of Defence
It's true the compromised software was run by a Government contractor, but if MoD information can't be kept safe, it begs the question: What can?
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has not publicly pointed the finger of blame, but even had he done so, the Chinese authorities wouldn't ease up on the espionage.
They know Britain is increasingly tied to their country's economic apron-strings. The trade benefits are so great that shunning China would be an act of self-harm.
But we must adopt a tougher and more pragmatic approach. At the very least, our systems should be robust enough to see off any cyber threat from hostile actors.
China is an aggressive dictatorship, determined to win a power struggle with the West at all costs. We must use every weapon at our disposal to prevent that happening.
Hypocrite on hate
It's sickening that Green Party councillor Mothin Ali, who shouted 'Allahu Akbar' to celebrate his election victory, now complains he's suffering a backlash after his recent anti-Semitic rants came to light.
He had, he said, been subject to 'a lot of hate and hostility'. Perhaps he should spare a thought for the Leeds rabbi driven from his home after Mr Ali whipped up a violent mob with a hate-filled rant about Gaza?
Mr Ali claims his critics are motivated by 'Islamophobia'. But this insidious term is bandied about by those deliberately seeking to conflate legitimate criticism of Islam (a religious belief) and its practices with hatred of Muslims, which is clearly abhorrent.
As such, it is often invoked to shut down scrutiny and debate. Labour is under growing pressure to promise to outlaw 'Islamophobia' to win back Muslim voters alienated by its stance on the Middle East.
No religion should be granted such protection. This will test Sir Keir Starmer's commitment to free speech as never before.
![Green Party councillor Mothin Ali pictured after being elected in Leeds earlier this month](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/05/08/01/84589711-13393789-image-a-72_1715126739239.jpg)
Green Party councillor Mothin Ali pictured after being elected in Leeds earlier this month
Government gaslit
On the day the FTSE hit another record, Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves accused the Tories of 'gaslighting' the public by claiming the economy has turned a corner.
But isn't the Government right? New figures are set to show Britain is already out of recession. Real incomes are rising. Inflation is falling and interest rates could follow soon. This is all strikingly good news.
Of course, 'gaslighting' describes when one person manipulates others into doubting their own memories and sanity.
When Ms Reeves insists Labour can be trusted with the economy, which it has turned into a smouldering wreck during every stint in power, isn't she doing just that?