Ex-MI6 chief warns Beijing could 'cripple London' if UK doesn't ban Chinese EVs like US

Britain should “strongly” see banning Chinese electrical vehicles (EVS) arsenic Beijing could usage them to “cripple” UK cities, an ex-MI6 main has told Express.co.uk.

A starring world has besides warned that the Chinese exertion is adjacent embedded successful the UK’s postulation lights, meaning they could crook the full web red.

Sir Richard Dearlove, who led MI6 from 1999 to 2004, says this could wreak havoc connected hundreds of cars astatine once.

He told the Daily Express: “China could cripple the postulation successful London by cutting the controls of let’s accidental 400 electrical cars successful 1 go, truthful they couldn’t beryllium moved. This is not a scare story, it’s an existent possibility.

“One time it volition happen, oregon thing similar that volition happen, if we get into a tense planetary situation with China - and it’s a existent problem.”

Asked whether the UK should prohibition the import of Chinese EVs, Sir Richard said: “There is an statement for doing that strongly, yes - successful presumption of nationalist security.”

Jim Saker, a greenish car adept from Loughborough University, says Chinese EVs are embedded with cellular modules that tin beryllium remotely controlled allowing anyone with entree to nonstop them.

He said: “Within each of these vehicles determination are these cellular networks… and they tin supply entree and accusation to whoever wishes to power it.

“It’s lone this caller procreation of cars that this is truly affecting. When you’ve got cameras connected the front, rear and internally, you’ve got the quality to pass [with the car].”

Comparing the menace to the Hezbollah pagers interfered with by the Israeli quality work Mossad earlier they were blown up successful Lebanon, Mr Saker claimed that Chinese EVs could airs a acold greater information to Britain.

He added: "We’ve seen with Mossad what you tin bash if you disrupt the proviso concatenation with those pagers - ideate what tin beryllium done with a car. It cranks up the menace immeasurably”

Mr Saker, who is Director of the Centre for Automotive Management, besides remarked however “there are Chinese bits of kit” built into UK postulation lights and that Beijing could usage them to unopen down the UK’s roadworthy network.

“You could crook them each to red, fundamentally you could hack into them”, helium warned.

Labour MP Graeme Downie, who is the seat of the Coalition connected Secure Technology, shared Mr Saker’s concerns.

The MP for Dunfermline and Dollar said: “We're seeing successful Ukraine and elsewhere that wars and conflicts are being fought otherwise to however they person been successful the past and 1 of those ways is astir technology.

"We've seen an summation successful cyber attacks crossed that struggle and crossed the world. So erstwhile you see that and the aboriginal of the information of our ain technology, [technological security] becomes perfectly vital.

"For maine it's astir making sure, archetypal and foremost, we've considered that astir a nationalist information hazard astir our ain exertion some successful civilian and subject use. [Asking] wherever has that exertion travel from, however unafraid is it?”.

Despite his concerns astir Chinese technology, the Scottish Labour MP refused to telephone connected the Government to enforce a prohibition connected Chinese EVs.

The UK remains an outlier among Western states not imposing controls connected Chinese EVs. The outgoing Biden medication connected Tuesday efficaciously banned Chinese cars and trucks from the US marketplace with caller regulations.

That is connected apical of the tariffs imposed connected Chinese EV imports introduced successful September. President-elect Donald Trump, who volition beryllium inaugurated connected January 20, has confirmed that helium excessively wants to forestall Chinese EVs from entering the US market.

A Government spokesperson said: "Electric cars and postulation lights successful the UK are built to precocious information standards and person led the improvement of planetary requirements for each car manufacturers to tackle immoderate imaginable cyber threats successful their designs.

"Local authorities person robust cyber information measures successful spot to forestall hacking of postulation signals, which person built-in safeguards, ensuring they are disconnected from the wider web if immoderate issues arise."