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An defence minister has confirmed that the MoD is actively looking into the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made cars, while staff have been told to refrain from discussing classified information in any vehicles.

Safety Guidance for MoD Staff

During a recently aired appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to discuss secret information while riding in China-made vehicles.

He explained that the ministry is “investigating” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern cars.

Our department has a fleet of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles represent a very small number.

But regardless of if you’re driving a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our people is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence devices into their car, not to have discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, due to the increasing threats of surveillance that are present in all automobile, to only have those confidential conversations in secure locations. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.

When it was suggested that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using every cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”

Wider Security Context

This announcement follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the UK to the presence of dual-use shutdown mechanisms in Chinese electric buses, which could enable the Chinese government to disable buses and bring chaos to public transit.

Furthermore, a Russia spy ship has been shining laser beams at RAF pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.

The broader security situation underscores the significance of robust measures and vigilance in all areas of government operations, from transport usage to discussions practices.