Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have (1) to ban the deployment of the spyware tool Pegasus, and (2) to set up an inquiry into its impact on the UK.

It is essential that nation states and other cyber actors use capabilities in a way that is legal, responsible and proportionate, and to ensure cyberspace remains free, open, peaceful and secure.

The UK and its allies are committed to ensuring key technologies are not misused in a way that threatens human rights and, as such, it is right that their trade is appropriately controlled. We continue to promote with our international partners the need for tighter export controls to ensure cyber capabilities are used legally and responsibly, and do not threaten or undermine human rights.

Unauthorised access to a computer system to upload spyware, such as Pegasus, would be likely to constitute an offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Our national security framework is one of the most robust and transparent in Europe. One of the key pieces of legislation is the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 which sets out the regulatory framework for authorising such conduct. Any such conduct requires a warrant, which provides assurance that the conduct/access is authorised, necessary and proportionate.