UK defense firms ban staff from talking about work while in Chinese cars

Defence firms have told staff to stop charging their phones in Chinese-made electric cars over security concerns, it was reported last night, Report informs via Daily Mail.

Bosses at two of Britain's top defence companies have said the sector is taking a 'cautious' and 'belt and braces' approach to the possibility that the Chinese state could be spying on cars using electric vehicles.

Measures taken to reduce the likelihood of sensitive national security data being stolen include avoiding parking in production plant car parks, as well as a ban on connecting mobile phones via Bluetooth or a charging cable.

Firms thought to have taken such precautions include BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, according to the i newspaper.

One defence firm said: 'The sale of Chinese cars is growing in the UK, and we are, rightly, cautious about that. We are making our staff aware of the sensible precautions to take.'

After Donald Trump imposed international tariffs on China, the prices for electric cars from the country into the US have doubled, which experts believe could open the doors for more of these cheap EVs to flood the UK.