A defense official has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the possible security risks associated with Chinese cars, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about secret matters in any vehicles.
Safety Guidance for MoD Personnel
During a recently aired interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that MoD staff have been instructed not to discuss classified material while riding in Chinese vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but stressed that safety is a concern in every contemporary vehicles.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re driving a vehicle from China or a car from another country, what we’ve asked our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their vehicle, not to have conversations at a classified level in any vehicle, due to the growing threats of eavesdropping that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret conversations in secure locations. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement comes as claims from Norway and Denmark have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made electric buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and cause chaos to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian intelligence vessel was reportedly shining lasers at Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider security environment underscores the importance of robust measures and caution in every areas of government operations, from transport use to communication practices.
