An MP and vocal critic of the Chinese government has claimed a "pretty sophisticated" hacker is trying to impersonate him.

In a tweet yesterday, Tom Tugendhat, MP for Tonbridge and Malling, said: "If you receive an email claiming to be from me - please check and do NOT open attachments unless you’re sure. A pretty sophisticated hacker is seeking to impersonate me and hack others. Any ideas who it could be?"

Mr Tugendhat, a Conservative, is chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and last week accused the Chinese regime of 'tyranny' and inaccurately reporting its coronavirus death toll.

Chen Wen, minister and first staff member of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, hit back, saying such claims are dangerous and driven by bias against his country.

Mr Tugendhat is one of a number of MPs who are seeking an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus outbreak in China.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World at One programme this week, the British Army veteran said his criticism is "nothing to do with China as a country, it is all to do with tyranny".

Previously, Mr Tugendhat questioned the Chinese company Huawei's potential involvement in building Britain's 5G network, calling for caution.

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