"China could take down UK National Grid" as ex MI6 chief issues horrifying warning

China can plunge Britain into chaos by targeting the National Grid, a former MI6 chief warned, as fears grow over the UK's dangerous dependence on Beijing. Sir Richard Dearlove said: "Such peacetime dependencies give China strategic leverage and in a crisis it gives them weapons of mass disruption which could literally bring this country to a complete standstill."

He told MPs that the loss of British manufacturing left the country dangerously vulnerable to a hostile foreign power controlling crucial materials needed to keep the electricity network running. He warned that harmless commercial dependencies in peacetime could become devastating weapons during a confrontation.

Sir Richard told an event for MPs held by the Coalition on Secure Technology: "In ceasing to manufacture it has exported its exposure to the energy systems of its suppliers, some of whom are strategic adversaries."

The former head of MI6 said Britain effectively handed control of critical vulnerabilities to countries that could become adversaries. He warned that reliance on foreign suppliers was not simply an economic problem, but could directly threaten national security.

Sir Richard said: "Our foreign policy is therefore fettered and could even be held to ransom."

The explosive warning comes amid mounting concerns over how Chinese technology and equipment has become embedded in British infrastructure...

Fears have also grown over Chinese-manufactured electric buses and whether they could be remotely switched off. The National Cyber Security Centre and authorities in Norway launched investigations into related concerns.