THE UNDERCOVER PRIME MINISTER
Brits told to undress in bed to foil G20 spies
Theresa May’s team have been told to undress beneath the bedsheets if they don’t want the Chinese spying on them.
It’s just part of the security advice the PM and her entourage were given before they flew to China yesterday for the G20 summit in Hangzhou. No10 staff have also been told to leave their mobiles at home and take throwaway ones. That’s because mobiles charged in hotel rooms are in danger of having their data downloaded from the plug. They must not use their official email accounts and either refuse gifts from their Chinese hosts or throw them away.
China has a huge spying aparatus, run by the Ministry of State Security, desperate to get their hands on industrial secrets.
Diplomatic protection squad former head Dai Davies said: “When it comes to spying, the Chinese are on a par with the Russians.
“Metaphorical ly speaking, these people want to get inside Her Majesty’s knickers and will use every trick in the book.”
According to reports, Chinese cyber hackers have already targeted five EU foreign ministries in preparation for the summit. Government staff in the Czech Republic, Portugal, Bulgaria, Latvia and Hungary were tricked into downloading malicious files which hijacked their computers.
A Whitehall source said: “We’ve been told if we’re uncomfortable about being seen naked we should undress under the bedclothes in our hotel rooms.”
Ahead of the G20 summit – where she faces a row with Beijing over the delayed decision on the Hinkley Point power station in Somerset – May insisited the country is in a “golden era” for UKChina relations.
The Prime Minister hopes talks with world leaders including US president Barack Obama, will show the UK remains a “dependable” diplomatic and trading partner in the wake of the Brexit vote to quit the European Union.
May said: “In China I will be seizing the opportunity to talk to leaders from countries l ike Australia who have already made clear that they want to strike a deal once we have left the EU.”
May will have a meeting with President Xi on Monday, after the conclusion of the two- day summit.
Although a decision on whether or not Hinkley will go ahead is expected this month, UK officials indicated it would not be announced at the meeting – fuelling speculation the plan will be scrapped or significantly altered.