A defence official has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is actively investigating the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, while personnel have been advised to refrain from discussing classified information in all cars.
Security Guidance for Defence Staff
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that MoD staff have been instructed not to talk about classified material while riding in China-made cars.
The minister said that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its vehicle pools, but emphasised that safety is a concern in every contemporary cars.
We have a collection of tens of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having conversations at a classified classification in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to only have those confidential conversations in protected areas. This is a wise and reasonable thing for everyone worried about security.
When it was suggested that it would be wise for the ministry to stop using all cars from China, Pollard responded: ‘That’s precisely what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
This revelation comes as reports from Norway and Denmark have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose 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 Royal Air Force aircrew, labeled a “extremely risky” action by defence officials.
This broader security environment highlights the importance of strong protocols and caution in all aspects of government operations, including transport usage to discussions practices.
