Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 3:05 pm on 16 October 2023.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
3:05,
16 October 2023
My Lords, the noble Lord is quite correct and we have often discussed these issues and challenges. The mitigations we have put in and the advice we provide are all part of an overall package but, as I am sure he will agree, the challenge is that we also need sharp-end sanctions against these states. As I know from my experience at the Foreign Office over the last few years, we never used to call out or challenge state actors for cyberattacks. We now do so. The two countries the noble Lord named—Russia and Iran—are very much part of our focus. I am sure he will acknowledge that we have imposed cyber sanctions on Russia.