Former editor of The Sun Kelvin Mackenzie has blasted the Deputy PM Oliver Dowden’s response to China’s latest cyber attack against the UK.

Speaking to Patrick Christys on GB News, Mackenzie praised conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith who said that he welcomed the sanctions, but claimed they are the equivalent of an “elephant giving birth to a mouse”.

He said: “It’s completely shocking and it hasn’t worked out well. But that guy, Oliver Dowden, what a waste of space he is.

“Because Labour appears to be winning by about 28 thousand per cent now, he’ll be pushing a broom outside some corporate comms unit by the end of this year.

“This is the problem. The problem is we talk tough, but we don’t do tough.”He added: “I really admire Duncan Smith because at least he’s been pushing this now for way north of a decade. He knew Huawei was a danger, and it took years before the rest of the government caught up with it.

“We do not possess a real will. If we had a real will, we would say we will never trade with you again. China may not give us stuff, but at least we’d be strong.”