BRITAIN backed the US in shooting down a Chinese spy balloon – and said we would do the same.
Business Secretary Grant Shapps threw his weight behind President Biden after he ordered fighter jets to take down the mysterious object after it flew over key military sites.
Britain has backed the US shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon – and said we would do the same
The Cabinet minister said yesterday: “We fully support the US and the action they’ve taken.
“It cannot be right to send spy balloons floating over mainland of the United States, and the UK would always take its national security very seriously.”
The move has sparked a war of words with China, who claimed it was just a weather balloon which came over America completely by accident.
But Mr Shapps said the UK wasn’t afraid to take bold decisions to protect the British people.
He told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg programme: “Where there is intelligence information, I do act.
“I am responsible for judging whether investments from China impact our national security.
“I have been extremely tough.
“We want to be a country that is open to investment but not in areas that might impact our national security.
“That is where we draw the line.”
Rishi Sunak last summer dubbed China as a “threat” – but since getting to Downing Street has been accused of rowing back on his tough talk.
The PM instead would only say the rogue nation is a “systematic challenge” in a hint Britain would continue to work alongside them.
Grant Shapps said the UK wasn’t afraid to take bold decisions to protect the British people
