The UK government is expected today to link the 2021 cyber-attacks against the Electoral Commission to threat actors in China.

The attacks took place in August 2021, but the specifics were only revealed to the public last year, detailing how the personal details of millions of UK voters was accessed.

In the attack, threat actors accessed electoral registers, as well the Electoral Commission’s email and control systems. It stipulated, however, that the attacks did not impact any elections or anyone’s voting registration.

In parliament, the deputy prime minister is expected to link the attack to China, as several ministers who were critical of the Chinese government were thought to also be targeted in cyber-attacks.

The link comes after the UK government has continually cracked down on Chinese investment in UK infrastructure over the recent years, citing national security concerns.

Among the electoral commission attack, the deputy PM is also expected to claim that Beijing is behind a wave of recent attacks levied against parliamentary members and peers.

Three MPS are expected to be given briefs on their risk status: Ian Duncan Smith and Tim Laughton of the Conservatives, as well as Stewart McDonald of the SNP.

Their membership to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, and continued critique of Beijing, has potentially put them at a heightened risk of being targeted.

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China’s ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson Lin Jian rebuffed the allegations, saying that the UK government was “smearing without factual basis,” as reported by Sky.

“We hope that all parties will stop spreading false information, and effectively adopt a responsible attitude to jointly maintain peace and security in cyber space,” he said.

With global elections looming this year across the UK, US, and India, governments are likely to take a second look at their relationship with China following their links to cyber-crime.