Ministers to be forced to name and shame China for cyber attacks on the UK after Government, which doesn't want to point finger at Beijing, lost Lords battle

Published: 18:00 EDT, 27 October 2026 | Updated: 18:40 EDT, 27 October 2026 Ministers will be forced to name and shame China if it launches cyber-attacks on Britain following a Government defeat in the House of Lords.Labour peers voted against an amendment on Monday to the Cyber Security and Resilience bill requiring the Government to keep a log of foreign states targeting British networks.It would also see ministers having to report back to Parliament on the risks posed by hostile state actors on the register.But the Conservative and Crossbench-led amendment was passed with 194 peers in favour and 155 against, meaning ministers will be forced to publicly expose Chinese activity against Britain as the legislation stands.While the amendment covers all foreign powers, the Government was accused last night of blocking it to appease China, which has launched multiple cyber-attacks against British institutions and parliamentarians in recent years.Shadow foreign affairs minister Alicia Kearns called the amendment passing 'an embarrassing defeat for the Government and a stark warning that Labour is failing to take the threats facing our country seriously enough'.She said: 'It should not take a defeat in Parliament to force ministers to confront the dangers posed by hostile foreign actors. The Government must now do the right thing and accept the amendment to protect us all. Labour stands accused of capitulating to China as it desperately prioritises financial gains through its relationship with Beijing Shadow home affairs minister Alicia Kearns said: 'It should not take a defeat in Parliament to force ministers to confront the dangers posed by hostile foreign actors' Former chancellor Rachel Reeves on a visit to China last year where she trumped up a £600million trade deal with Beijing'The Conservatives will push for this measure in the House of Commons, and I urge Labour backbenchers to put the safety of our country before party politics and support us. 'When it comes to protecting Britain from hostile foreign threats, there can be no excuses or complacency – only the Conservatives can be trusted with our national security.'Crossbench peer Lord Alton, who sponsored the amendment, said: 'We need to be much clearer about who is threatening our security instead of playing footsie with hostile regimes.'There's no point telling everyone to stock up on non-perishable foods and drinking water while we go on with business as usual with states that are launching daily cyber-attacks and with worse to come.'And Luke de Pulford, founder of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, said it's 'no surprise the Government is resisting this amendment'.He added: 'The Foreign Office doesn't want its hands tied, so they can continue diplomacy on our knees while Beijing's conducts daily cyber-attacks.'The reality is that we cannot pretend that Beijing is a benign partner anymore. Government should let this amendment stay in the Bill.'It comes as Labour stands accused of capitulating to China as it desperately prioritises financial gains through its relationship with Beijing.Security sources last month told the Mail on Sunday that Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is 'appeasing' China because the UK is so reliant on Beijing for the supply of solar panels.Ministers have also been accused of failing to take the threat from Beijing seriously after leaving China off the top tier of a Government register tracking 'foreign influence' in Britain.The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), which came into force last year, requires groups lobbying on behalf of a foreign state to register.The 'enhanced tier' – affecting Russia and Iran but not China – is targeted at states posing a greater risk to Britain, and so covers a wider range of activities.But the Daily Mail can reveal that just 20 foreign entities have publicly registered for the scheme to date – and not one is from China.The Cyber Security and Resilience bill will now return to the House of Commons to be heard by MPs.