This is the Guardian. The government is once again worried about China and a new cyber attack aimed at MPs and it seems millions of us.

I mean it represents an epoch defining challenge and also the greatest state-based threat to our economic securities.

Just to be clear as far as anyone knows all this doesn't involve seagulls.

Anyway, why is the Chinese state even doing this?

And why weren't the UK label the country a major

threat meanwhile there's the latest installment of the tour is steady march to victory.

Rishi Sunang has been forced to carry out a mini-re shuffle of his team after two government ministers

resigned.

Remember, there's only seven months of this to go.

I'm John Harris and you're listening to Politics Weekly UK for The Guardian.

Joining me today are the Guardian's Foreign Leader

I Tanya Branigan and the Guardian's Deputy Political Editor

Peter Walker. Hello to you both.

Hello?

Hi.

Right, let's talk about China.

On Monday, the government sanctioned two people and a company in China for a cyber attack on MPs and the Electoral Commission back in 2022.

Let's have a listen to the Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden making a statement in Parliament.

I can confirm today that Chinese state affiliated actors were responsible for two malicious cyber campaigns targeting both our democratic institutions and parliamentarians.

First, the compromise of the United Kingdom Electoral Commission between 2021 and 2022, which was announced last summer.

And second, attempted reconnaissance activity against UK parliamentary accounts in a separate campaign in 2021.

Now he said that a branch of the Chinese state called Advanced Persistent Threat Group 31.

...