An defence official has revealed that the Ministry of Defence is currently examining the possible security risks associated with Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been instructed to refrain from talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard addressed claims that Ministry of Defence staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made vehicles.
The minister stated that the ministry is “investigating” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that security is a concern in every modern vehicles.
We have a fleet of tens of thousands of vehicles in the Ministry of Defence and those vehicles account for a very small number.
But whether you’re driving a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, our instruction to our people is not to plug MoD technology into their car, not to have conversations at a secret classification in any vehicle, because of the increasing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those secret talks in protected areas. This is a prudent and reasonable thing for anyone concerned about safety.
When it was put to him that it would be prudent for the ministry to stop using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the present time.”
Broader Security Background
The revelation follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the United Kingdom to the existence of multi-purpose kill switches in Chinese electric buses, which could allow China to disable buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russian spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF pilots, described as a “extremely risky” act by defence officials.
This wider security environment highlights the importance of robust measures and vigilance in all aspects of official activities, from transport use to communication habits.
