Did China put a secret tracking device on Starmer’s car? Report says implant transmitted location
British intelligence reportedly discovered a concealed tracking device embedded inside a Chinese-supplied vehicle component used in a government car assigned to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
A major national security breach has come to light following revelations that British intelligence officials discovered a hidden Chinese tracking device embedded inside a UK government vehicle used by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The device, which can transmit detailed location data, was reportedly embedded within a sealed component imported from a Chinese supplier and had been active for roughly four years before being discovered during a meticulous security check, per Telegraph.
Hidden in plain sight
The espionage apparatus was found after the UK’s security services began stripping down government and diplomatic vehicles to counter growing threats of foreign surveillance.
According to intelligence sources cited by the Telegraph, the tracking device was integrated into an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) by a Chinese sub-supplier before the part was shipped to the vehicle manufacturer. Because the component arrived as a sealed unit, it was installed into the high-profile vehicle without the automaker’s knowledge.
Former Cabinet Minister Duncan Smith later corroborated the gravity of the operation, noting that security teams had to completely dismantle the Prime Minister’s official vehicles, historically armoured Range Rover Sentinels, to locate the hidden SIMs.
Not an isolated incident
Intelligence officials believe the placement of the tracking technology points to a broad, automated approach by Beijing to infiltrate Western supply chains rather than the specific targeting of a single prime minister’s car.
Because sub-components are manufactured in bulk, any vehicle using these parts, whether belonging to a regular citizen or a head of government, effectively becomes a mobile tracking node.
The disclosure has placed immense pressure on Downing Street to harden its stance on Beijing. Prominent lawmakers have urged the government to officially reclassify China from a “systemic challenge” to a direct “systemic threat.”
Meanwhile, Beijing has rejected the allegations. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in London dismissed the reports as “sheer rumour” and “disinformation,” accusing Western politicians of manipulating national security anxieties to disrupt normal economic trade and smear Chinese tech enterprises.
Despite the denials, the four-year breach has led to a massive review of all technological components used across critical national infrastructure.
https://www.firstpost.com/world/hidden-chinese-tracking-device-found-in-car-used-by-uk-pm-keir-starmer-report-14020855.html