Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Tim Loughton and Stewart McDonald said it’s time for a “new era” in UK-China relations at a press conference in London, with Sir Iain adding they cannot be “bullied” by Beijing.

The former Tory party leader said: “We have been subjected to harassment, impersonation and attempted hacking from China for some time.”

While that was “extremely unwelcome”, Sir Iain said “our discomfort pales in comparison to Chinese dissidents who risk their lives to oppose the Chinese Communist Party”.

Sanctions against Chinese officials are expected to be announced later.