Tory minister likened to Bernard Manning over ‘little man in China’ comment

Jon Stone
·2-min read
Defra minister Mark Spencer has come under fire for suggesting there could be ‘some little man in China’ eavesdropping on his private conversations (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)
Defra minister Mark Spencer has come under fire for suggesting there could be ‘some little man in China’ eavesdropping on his private conversations (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)

A government minister has been criticised after he suggested that "some little man in China" could be eavesdropping on his private conversations.

The comments by Mark Spencer came during a discussion about government security breaches – and were branded "outrageous" by opposition MPs.

Shadow ministers accused Mr Spencer of using "outrageous and reckless language", and showing his "ignorance, on many levels".

And SNP MP David Linden joked: "I was unaware that Bernard Manning had been promoted to Government" – referring to the late right-wing comedian who used racist language about ethnic minorities.

Questioned about ministers using their personal mobile phones during a round of broadcast interviews, Mr Spencer, a former chief whip who is now a minister at the environment department, said:

"We all talk on personal phones, don't we? I ring my wife, maybe there's some little man in China listening to the conversations between me and my wife.

"But, you know, you've just got to be careful about what information you use on which phone and you get a lot of help and support from the security services on that."

UK news in pictures

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30 October 2022: People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset (PA)
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29 October 2022: Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a “Just Stop Oil” protest, in London (Reuters)
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28 October 2022: A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London (Reuters)
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27 October 2022: 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London (PA)
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26 October 2022: A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment (PA)
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25 October 2022: King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government (PA)
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24 October 2022: Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party (Reuters)
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23 October 2022: The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic (PA)
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21 October 2022: Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the ‘Planet A’ Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town (PA)
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20 October 2022: Britain’s Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation (AFP/Getty)
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19 October 2022: Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration (PA)

Mr Spencer's comments raised eyebrows in Westminster because earlier this year he was accused of making Islamophobic comments by a fellow Tory MP – though he says the claims were "completely false".

Responding to the minister’s comments, Labour shadow justice minister Mr Khan said: “Outrageous and reckless language used here.

"Given Mark Spencer’s history of Islamophobia, really makes you wonder why he was ever promoted."

Meanwhile shadow faith minister Ms Owen said Mr Spencer was "once again showing his ignorance, on many levels".

The minister was fielding questions about the use of personal mobile phones for government business – sparked by questions about the conduct of Home Secretary Suella Braverman and the targeting of Liz Truss’s mobile phone by hackers.

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