MPs have been warned that a Chinese tracking device had been found in the Prime Minister’s car in 2022.

Its discovery during a sweep was first revealed by The i Paper in 2023, igniting serious national security concerns about the espionage threat posed by Chinese intelligence. At least one SIM card capable of transmitting location data was discovered during a search of government and diplomatic vehicles. The geolocating device had been placed into a vehicle inside a sealed part imported from a supplier in China and installed by the vehicle manufacturer.

Charles Parton, of think-tank the Council on Geostrategy, told the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee on Tuesday that “the prime minister’s car in 2022 was emanating data to China through the cellular module”.

He claimed a senior member of the government who “knows whose car it was told me” but he did not name which of 2022’s three Prime Ministers, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak, was thje subject of the bugging.

Mr Parton’s claim came during a discussion about cellular modules, which he warned are ‘in everything’ including planes, cars and even smart doorbells, says the Daily Mail.

“The Chinese aim to get a monopoly in the manufacture of cellular modules, and they’re doing pretty well at that already. If the Chinese wish to shut off all your vehicles, because they’ve all got cellular modules, it wouldn’t be difficult.”

Security officials were said to have dismantled government vehicles used by ministers and diplomats while looking for tracking devices.

Electronic vehicle parts are said to be embedded with SIM cards before being sent to manufacturers as sealed units, with these capable of sending data back to state-owned suppliers in China.

When the bug was discovered, Beijing dismissed the revelations as ‘groundless and sheer rumour’, adding: “We are firmly opposed to political manipulation on normal economic and trade co-operation or any smear on Chinese enterprises.”

(Picture: Highways News)