Secret Chinese-Made Tracking Device Discovered in UK Prime Minister's Car

A secret Chinese-made tracking device was discovered in the official car of the British Prime Minister four years ago, with the bug believed to have been found in a sealed component of the vehicle imported from China. The information, as reported by the Daily Mail on Wednesday (10/6/2026), was disclosed by Charles Parton from the Council on Geostrategy think tank, a former diplomat of nearly 40 years including postings in China, to British MPs on Tuesday (9/6) local time. The discovery occurred during a bugging operation first reported in 2023, sparking fears that Beijing was aggressively spying on ministers in the then-Conservative government. It has now emerged that the tracking device was actually found in the PM’s car the previous year. “The Prime Minister’s car in 2022 was sending data to China via a cellular module,” Parton revealed while speaking to the Business and Trade Committee in the British parliament. Parton served as a diplomat for nearly 40 years, spending 20 of those in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The device allegedly allowed the vehicle to communicate with other parties over a mobile network. It is unclear which Conservative Prime Minister was targeted that year—Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, or Rishi Sunak. When questioned by MPs about the matter, Parton answered: “A senior member of the government who would definitely know whose car it was has told me.” The part of the car containing the geolocation device, according to reports at the time, had been fitted by the vehicle manufacturer. Parton’s claim emerged during a parliamentary discussion on cellular modules, which he said are “ubiquitous” and found in aircraft, cars, and even smart doorbells. Since the incident, British security authorities have stripped down government vehicles used by ministers and diplomats while searching for tracking devices. When the device was discovered, China dismissed it as a “groundless accusation and mere rumour.” A Beijing authority statement at the time said: “We strongly oppose the political manipulation of normal economic and trade cooperation or the smearing of Chinese companies.” The British PM’s official cars are managed by the Metropolitan Police, or Scotland Yard, which declined to comment on the report, stating: “We do not comment on protective security matters.” Meanwhile, Downing Street and the Cabinet Office also have yet to provide a response.