THE Tories were accused of trying to whip up “cold war fever” after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned of an “increasingly assertive” China today.

The government has blamed Beijing-linked hackers for a cyber attack on the Electoral Commission, which exposed the personal data of 40 million voters.

Mr Sunak said: “We’ve been very clear that the situation now is that China is behaving in an increasingly assertive way abroad, authoritarian at home, and it represents an epoch-defining challenge, and also the greatest state-based threat to our economic security.”

Efforts to step up pressure on China in response to the cyber attack reportedly include looking at sanctions on individuals thought to be connected with the alleged activity.

The Electoral Commission attack was identified in October 2022, but the hackers had first been able to access the commission’s systems for more than a year since August 2021.

The registers held at the time of the cyber attack include the name and address of anyone in Britain who was registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as well as the names of those registered as overseas voters.

Fiona Edwards of No Cold War told the Morning Star: “The Tory government and the right-wing media are attempting to whip up cold war fever against China with a daily barrage of accusations and smears which are designed to demonise Beijing in the public imagination.

“It is vital to understand that such Tory propaganda attacks are taking place at the same time as the government is making preparations for war.

“Defence Secretary Grant Shapps recently declared that Britain could be at war with China within the next five years.

“Britain’s aggressive war drive is a threat to the British people and the world.”

Earlier, nuclear minister Andrew Bowie told LBC Radio: “We will stop at nothing to ensure that the British people, our democracy, our freedom of speech and our way of life is defended.”

A spokesman for the Peace Pledge Union warned that by talking up tensions with China with military language, Mr Bowie and Mr Sunak were making conflict “more, not less likely.”

He said: “Unfortunately, Mr Sunak seems keen to appease those within his party who view conflict with China as inevitable. 

“Britain is drifting closer to the reckless stance of the US, which, we must remember, maintains hundreds of military bases and tens of thousands of troops in east Asia.

“Rather than stirring up tensions with China, the government would do well to recognise its own role in fuelling global insecurity, as in recent months it has bombarded Yemen, stood by Israel’s assault on Gaza and promised further weapons for Ukraine.”