Conservative backbenchers have called for tougher action against Beijing as the Government is expected to blame China for cyber attacks against parliamentarians.

Anticipating an expected announcement that Beijing-linked hackers were behind cyber attacks on the Electoral Commission and parliamentarians, former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith called on the Government to label China as a “threat” rather than an “epoch-defining challenge”.

Speaking alongside other members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), he told a press conference in Westminster: “We must now enter a new era of relations with China, dealing with the contemporary Chinese Communist Party as it really is, not as we would wish it to be.

“Today’s announcement should mark a watershed moment where the UK takes a stand for values of human rights and the international rules-based system on which we all depend.”

China should also be in the “enhanced” tier under the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, sanctions should be imposed on those responsible for human rights abuses in China, and support should be given to MPs and others targeted by Beijing in the UK, Sir Iain added.

Fellow Conservative MP Tim Loughton said he hoped ministers would now “more readily” challenge officials at the Foreign Office, saying the department “doesn’t like to rock the boat on these matters”.

Both Sir Iain and Mr Loughton were sanctioned by China in 2021 and have repeatedly urged the Government to take a stronger line towards Beijing.

They also reportedly attended a briefing by Parliament’s director of security, Alison Giles, in relation to the cyber attacks along with the SNP’s Stewart McDonald and crossbench peer Lord Alton.

All four are IPAC members and have been among the most hawkish parliamentarians on China.

Sir Iain declined to comment on the briefing but said he and his colleagues would not be “bullied into silence” after being “subjected to harassment, impersonation and attempted hacking from China for some time”.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is expected to make an announcement on cyber attacks dating back to 2021 later on Monday.