Opinion | China spy scandal is perfect cover for British government in dire need of a distraction

Outrage in London is great after the arrest of a suspected Chinese spy, and rightly so. At the same time, though, it is a welcome distraction for a government that has simply failed and will now take a tougher stance on China for all the wrong reasons.

Espionage in the middle of Westminster illustrates the vulnerability and perhaps also the helplessness in dealing with China. That a parliamentary research fellow has been arrested is a “serious security concern”, according to opposition leader Keir Starmer, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to “defend democracy and our security”.

The saga has yet to fully unfold, with court hearings still pending. If politics has taught us anything, it is that a good distraction is always welcome in times of hardship – and times are hard in Britain. To say the nation has seen better days would be an understatement. What began with Brexit was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and has reached its temporary apogee with the economic impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In recent years, Britain’s economy has faced everything: recession fears, a sharp fall in the pound against the US dollar, an exodus of investors from British assets, large-scale strikes, falling living standards, a massive energy price shock and a labour shortage.