UK must wake up to China threat, says ex-MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger

The UK must "wake up" to the threat posed by China's challenges to global security, the ex-head of MI6 has said.

Sir Alex Younger, who led the UK's Intelligence Service between 2014 and 2020, said Western nations are "under full press of Chinese espionage".

US military have shot down four objects - including a suspected Chinese spy balloon - in the past week.

Sir Alex told the BBC the UK must place limits on tolerating countries "who behave in an unacceptable way",

On 4 February, the US military shot down a Chinese spy balloon after it travelled over sensitive military sites across North America. China has claimed the object was a weather balloon gone astray.

Since then, the three other "unidentified objects" have been downed across North America.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Sir Alex said "this balloon scenario demonstrates there is no trust" between China and western nations.

"This is a gross and really visibly transgression of the sovereignty of many nations."

The UK must recognise "we're in a competition" with China, Sir Alex said.

He said: "We need to wake up to this.

"We need to double down on the strengths that we possess to face this systemic competition that's going on."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said the government will do "whatever it takes" to keep the UK safe from spy balloons.

On Monday the prime minister said a "quick reaction alert force" of RAF Typhoon jets was on stand-by 24/7 to police UK airspace.