Police cars, ambulances and buses could be vulnerable to remote disruption because Britain relies heavily on Chinese electric-vehicle technology, security sources have warned The Mail on Sunday.

The warning comes as intelligence officials express growing concern about the Government’s cautious approach to Beijing and China’s potential ability to interfere with vehicles remotely.

The alleged threat centres on so-called ‘kill switches’ embedded in Chinese-made components used in electric vehicles, transport systems, hospitals, the power grid and renewable-energy equipment, including solar panels.

The Metropolitan Police alone has around 1,600 electric and hybrid vehicles powered by lithium batteries. The vehicles contain Chinese cellular devices that connect them to mobile communications networks.

Security specialists say that, without coordinated safeguards, remote actors could potentially gain access to a vehicle’s electronic systems and force it to stop or even cause a crash.

Whitehall sources told the MoS that some emergency vehicles using Chinese technology have therefore been dismantled and effectively rebuilt, with components removed to eliminate any possible capacity for remote sabotage.

The sweeping review of Chinese-made components comes amid several wider security concerns:

A forensic examination in 2022 of a hybrid car used by the three prime ministers who served that year reportedly uncovered a tracking device suspected of transmitting information to China.

Chinese manufacturers have also rapidly expanded their position in Britain’s car market. Their share doubled over the past year to almost one in five new vehicles sold.

Investigators have likewise found alleged kill switches in the power inverters that connect solar panels and wind turbines to the national electricity grid.

The components did not appear in the installation plans supplied to engineers. They were discovered only after security experts inspected the energy equipment and compared it with the manufacturer’s official documentation.

Similar concerns have emerged over Yutong electric buses currently operating on British roads.

Norwegian bus operator Ruter, which first identified the alleged kill switch, found that the vehicles contained a SIM card connecting them to a Romanian mobile provider.

The connection is designed to monitor the battery remotely and help prevent overheating. However, experts say a software update issued from another country could potentially be enough to disable the buses.

Experts have cautioned that the Chinese chips are so sophisticated that removing or disabling the SIM cards may not be sufficient to stop the vehicles being remotely shut down. Despite those concerns, the Department for Transport has ordered more Chinese-built buses, reportedly against the advice of security specialists.

Electric vans and heavy goods vehicles are also raising alarms. One source said: ‘If China gets into electric vans and HGVs it poses a serious threat. They could switch them off, crash them, block roads or bridges. They would have control of our entire logistics network.’

Chinese electric-vehicle manufacturers, like other supposedly private companies in the country, operate under the Chinese Communist Party’s National Intelligence Laws. Those laws require organisations and individuals to ‘support, assist and cooperate with state intelligence work’.

The concerns have also cast a shadow over Uber’s plan to introduce driverless taxis in London next year in partnership with Chinese technology giant Baidu. Experts fear that foreign agents could exploit the vehicles’ infotainment systems.

Driverless vehicles in San Francisco were halted during a recent city-wide power failure, leading to blocked roads.

It follows the revelation in this newspaper last month that Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband was regarded with suspicion by Whitehall security officials over his doveish approach to Beijing.

One source accused Mr Miliband – who pledged to go ‘further and faster’ on replacing gas and oil with renewable sources such as solar power while in his previous job as Energy Secretary – of ‘appeasing’ China.

This is despite the risks it poses to British security because the UK is so reliant on Beijing for the supply of solar panels, with two-thirds of our stock coming from China.

John Hemmings, the inaugural Director for the National Security Centre at the Henry Jackson Society, said the so-called ‘Made in China’ hacking strategy had been driven by the certification of Chinese universities as ‘world-class cyber-security schools’.

The strategy focuses on embedding secret components into Chinese electronics to bypass firewalls and establish a direct back-channel to Beijing’s battalions of state-backed hackers.

The hacking is the result of more than a decade of investment by China’s president Xi Jinping, including state-sponsored ‘hacking competitions, which has led to the creation of more than 30,000 new cyber-security experts each year.

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Dr Hemmings criticised the ‘wet’ attitude of the UK Government to the Chinese threat, saying: ‘Even the EU is taking a more robust approach to Beijing than we are, which tells its own story.’

In March, the EU froze the assets of the China-based Integrity Technology Group and Anxun Information Technology in response to claims it had been involved in hacking critical infrastructure across the bloc.

It has also drafted legislation to exclude Beijing-linked companies such as Huawei from sensitive projects.

In contrast, a security source said the Government is struggling to catch up. ‘These are all pretty new ministers who change on a regular basis,’ the source said. ‘And most of them don’t understand the science and tech. Even inside the civil service it’s a mess.

‘Abolishing the science and technology department and putting it into trade means they have not got their eye on the ball. There’s a couple of people looking at this but their minds are elsewhere. At every level this issue is slipping through the cracks.’

But ideology matters, too.

‘There’s a belief in Government that growth can only come from Chinese trade and investment,’ said the source. ‘That is definitely Ed Miliband’s view. He signed a deal with China and didn’t tell anyone until a year later.

‘Ministers need their noses rubbed in it to stop them crapping all over the pavement.’

MI5’s warning last week about British academics was the first time the service has independently published a so-called ‘Espionage Alert’ – it is usually done under the direction of the Government.

It said that Chinese intelligence had tried to ‘covertly benefit’ from British AI and technology research after the academics contributed to projects funded by the China General Technology Research Institute, which it said has ‘very strong ties’ to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), because its ‘primary purpose was to fund academic research that directly improved the MSS’s technical capabilities for espionage’.

UK cyber-security experts also warn that China has the ability to shut down hospitals.

The NHS has been regarded as the country’s ‘softest underbelly’ because of its antiquated IT systems – which are now being updated frantically to counter the threat. Chinese agents attack and test the hospital systems on a regular basis.

The most audacious recent example of Chinese hacking was an operation codenamed Salt Typhoon, when aides close to former prime ministers Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak had their private calls tracked and text messages intercepted.

The state-backed group APT31, acting on behalf of China’s MSS, also gained access to the servers of the Electoral Commission, exposing the personal details of roughly 40 million voters.

APT31 has also targeted members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China – a coalition of China-sceptic MPs and peers.

In April, the National Cyber Security Centre warned that Chinese state actors are building vast ‘covert networks’ by hijacking household items and office routers to ‘burrow’ into vital infrastructure.

Last year, it was reported that the Ministry of Defence had banned electric vehicles with Chinese components from military bases.

Staff working at RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire and the Salisbury Plain training area were told they must park the vehicles at least two miles away from key buildings in case sensors in the cars collected intelligence and sent it to Beijing.

RAF Wyton houses officials from Five Eyes, the intelligence-sharing alliance formed by the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Defence minister Lord Coaker said at the time: ‘We are aware that individual defence organisations may have stricter requirements relating to electric vehicles on some sites, but we do not provide specific details for security reasons.’

Personnel have also been advised not to hold conversations in electric cars in case they are bugged.

The Five Eyes alliance issued a warning in the summer that Chinese military intelligence was targeting professional networking sites and online job platforms to obtain sensitive information.

One of Mr Miliband’s first moves after he moved to the Foreign Office in the summer was to arrange to meet Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.

Many senior members of the UK’s diplomatic and intelligence community regard Mr Miliband as ‘weak’ on the security threat posed by the country.

Mr Miliband supports building closer ties with Beijing – because, they suspect, the regime is so central to his zealously advocated Net Zero goals.

A National Police Chiefs Council spokesman said: ‘UK policing follows Government guidance on protecting all our infrastructure, including vehicles.

‘Any assessment of national security risks relating to vehicle technology, telecommunications or overseas supply chains is a matter for Government and the national security authorities.’

Kim Kardashian has a team of five nannies caring for her children, with one working at any given time while the other four rotate shifts, according to a new report.

The 45-year-old is the primary guardian of the four children she shares with her third ex-husband, Kanye West: North, 13, Saint, 10, Chicago, eight, and Psalm, seven.

Kardashian, who is now dating Formula One star Lewis Hamilton, discussed her family life and childcare arrangements in a profile published by the Times of London.

During the interview, she admitted feeling uneasy about her children’s growing exposure to the public, particularly as North builds a following on TikTok and begins exploring a career in music.

“I do worry about it. Each kid does what they’re comfortable with,” Kardashian said, describing how her children appear on the family’s reality series, The Kardashians.

“So, my little ones come around when I’m filming but they don’t really do storylines. North loves it a little bit more than the rest. I hold her back,” she added.

“All she wants to do is forward-facing projects. And so it’s like us really kind of trying to savor those moments and not doing everything that comes her way, so we can really make sure that we manage it the right way,” Kardashian explained.

“And with her, since it’s more music-related, that is something that her dad and I have better communication about. We make sure that we’re aligned and that she’s in projects that we both approve,” the reality star said.

The Daily Mail has contacted Kardashian’s representative for comment.

Kardashian and West have previously disagreed over North’s upbringing. Their differences came into focus last year after the rapper used his daughter’s vocals on a song featuring Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was then facing trial on multiple sexual misconduct allegations.

Combs was acquitted in July of the most serious accusations, including sex trafficking and racketeering, but he was convicted on two lesser counts of transporting people to engage in prostitution.

Kardashian also faced public criticism over her parenting after North revealed in August 2025 that she had received a dermal piercing featuring two small metal balls beneath a knuckle on the middle finger of her right hand.

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Unlike conventional piercings, dermal jewelry is held in place by a tiny anchor inserted beneath the skin.

The procedure can carry risks, including infection, keloid scarring and, when not properly cared for, rejection of the jewelry by the body.

Because Kardashian has frequently described herself as North’s primary guardian, she was heavily criticized for allowing her daughter to get the piercing at such a young age.

North later addressed the backlash in a December TikTok, mouthing along to the audio: “Why are you crying? How old are you? Just pull it together.” The caption read: “this is for everyone that’s mad over a finger piercing.”

Undeterred by the brickbats her mother was receiving, North then apparently unveiled two further dermal finger piercings on her Insta Stories in January.

Then this May, in the music video for her first solo single #N0rth4evr, she was shown strolling through a graveyard with two stick-on piercings under one of her eyes and another one placed near the top of her nose.

Much of the video was grainy and choppy, in a nod to ‘found footage’ horror movies like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity.

Her follow-up single was a collaboration with a fellow ‘nepo baby’ – Lil Novi, the 16-year-old son of rap legend Lil Wayne and R&B songstress Nivea.

Lil Wayne and Kanye worked on a number of songs together in the 2000s, including the 2007 release Barry Bonds and the 2008 single See You in My Nightmares.

Their children’s new effort, entitled MULA THA ROOT OF ALL EVIL, is a cacophonous piece of music with a frenetically edited music video to match.

North materializes in the middle of the video with blue hair, seemingly wearing a set of grillz as well as a pair of spiky gauntlets.

The lawyers representing Lindsay Clancy and the juror who remained opposed to the panel’s position have traded sharp statements ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, where prosecutors are expected to say whether they will seek a retrial.

Clancy acknowledges killing her three young children in 2023, but maintains that she was overmedicated and experiencing postpartum psychosis at the time. Prosecutors, however, argued that the deaths were deliberate and planned rather than the actions of a woman who had lost control.

The case ended in a mistrial after five weeks of closely watched testimony, when jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision on whether Clancy, 36, was guilty of murder, manslaughter or not criminally responsible.

The 12-member panel—nine women and three men—deliberated for more than 37 hours. The deadlock became clear after 11 jurors reportedly reached the same conclusion, while the 12th, later identified as Michael P. Desronvil, refused to join them.

‘Pure Nonsense’ 

Following the mistrial, Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, filed two motions seeking to have the case dismissed.

One motion invoked double jeopardy, the constitutional protection against being prosecuted or punished twice for the same offense. The second asked the court to investigate Desronvil over allegations that he failed to follow jury rules.

Edward Paltzik, who represents the holdout juror, told Fox News on Monday that the district attorney’s office and Reddington had agreed to postpone the motion seeking an investigation into Desronvil.

Reddington disputed that account in a statement to the Daily Mail, describing Paltzik’s claim as “pure nonsense” and accusing him of being a “publicity-seeking opportunist.”

“It has come to my attention that Ed Paltzik—the hoodie-wearing lawyer claiming to represent the obstructionist juror—has issued false and blatantly misleading statements regarding our motion to inquire,” Reddington said.

“Chief among his fabrications is the absurd claim that this motion was ‘adjourned’ by mutual agreement between the government and the defense. That is pure nonsense.”

Reddington said he and prosecutors agreed, as a professional courtesy, to move the motion to a later date so Paltzik would have sufficient time to review the filing and respond.

‘Pure Sour Grapes’ 

“The motion remains active, fully alive, and is currently pending a ruling from Judge Sullivan,” Reddington stressed.

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“We will not allow a publicity-seeking opportunist to twist simple courtroom courtesy into a victory that does not exist,” he added.

Paltzik escalated the dispute later Monday in a statement posted to X. He argued that Reddington could have removed Desronvil during jury selection but chose not to do so.

“Clearly, Reddington liked Michael well enough long before the mistrial,” Paltzik wrote.

He went on to call Reddington’s criticism “sophomoric whining” and “pure sour grapes” from “an angry, mean, and tired old man” who acted as though a defense verdict was guaranteed to him.

Judge William Sullivan is scheduled to hear Reddington’s two dismissal motions at a 9 a.m. hearing on Tuesday.

The district attorney’s office is also expected to announce whether it intends to retry Clancy and, if so, which charges it will pursue.

Prosecutors could choose to seek reduced charges, such as second-degree murder or manslaughter, in an effort to improve their chances of securing a conviction.

Plea Bargain or Dropped Charges 

Brad Bailey, a Boston defense attorney and former prosecutor who is not involved in the case, told the Daily Mail earlier this month that prosecutors might also offer Clancy a plea agreement rather than proceed with another trial.

‘Any time the threat of a retrial with murder one hanging over the client is re-interjected, defense lawyers will, at the very least, explore whether or not there’s any interest in a resolution,’ Bailey said. 

The district attorney’s office could also decide not to retry the case.

Bailey explained: ‘Sometimes they decide not to, because of the sense that there may be the same result each time they try it, and because of the expenditures involved in trying the case to begin with, particularly when you have expert witnesses.’

If the district attorney’s office decides not to move forward with a retrial, then Reddington’s motions to dismiss the case will likewise not move forward, as they would become redundant.  

Millions of viewers were captivated by the unmistakable sexual chemistry between Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner in the classic romantic adventure Romancing The Stone.

Yet for decades, Douglas, who was married during filming, rejected persistent claims that he and his co-star had embarked on a passionate affair behind the scenes.

Turner, then single but dating property tycoon Jay Weiss—whom she would later marry—also repeatedly denied the allegations. The rumours intensified so much that Douglas’s then-wife, Diandra, reportedly flew to the Mexican set to confront Turner.

Now, four decades after the 1984 blockbuster, Douglas, 82, has apparently revealed the truth. The actor, who has been married to Catherine Zeta-Jones since 2000, has finally addressed the long-running speculation.

In his memoir One Helluva Ride, Douglas says he and Turner, now 72, were overcome by “lust” almost immediately. “Kathleen was smart, funny and sexy, with a deep sultry voice that became her signature,” he writes. “I instantly liked her and we were immediately attracted to each other.”

Douglas had been married to model Diandra Luker since 1977, and the couple had a young son, Cameron. The Fatal Attraction star says their marriage was already struggling at the time. “Things at home were in a bad place. Diandra and I were both having extramarital affairs,” he writes. “The truth is that during the production of Romancing The Stone, Kathleen and I fell hard for each other and began a relationship.

“It wasn’t a brief fling. It developed naturally from the intensity of working so closely together, the pressure we were under, the respect and affection we shared, and the attraction between us.”

“Like every other guy in the world at the time, I was knocked sideways by Kathleen,” Douglas adds.

The two actors reportedly concealed the relationship from everyone around them, including co-star Danny DeVito and director Robert Zemeckis.

“We found each other first as friends, then as co-stars, and finally as lovers,” Douglas recalls.

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“After an exhausting day filming in the jungle, we would go out for dinner or join the group, and later I would quietly slip into her hotel room once everyone else was asleep.”

The secret romance came to an end after Douglas’s wife travelled from Los Angeles to Mexico with their young son.

“Diandra grew suspicious,” Douglas writes. “A woman’s intuition, I suppose.”

Douglas and Diandra’s marriage continued until their divorce in 2000. That same year, he married Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Douglas and Turner subsequently made what he describes as a “gentleman’s agreement” never to speak publicly about their relationship. For 40 years, both actors kept to it.

Douglas says the public version of events was carefully constructed: “Yes, we admitted we had amazing chemistry. Yes, we were both, as Kathleen put it, ‘terrible flirts’, and yes, we were tempted—but nothing ever happened between us.”

“That was a lie,” he writes. “It was a lie intended to protect my wife and son, a lie we told the world for 40 years.”

Turner also upheld the pact during an interview with The Mail on Sunday several years ago. “The chemistry was there and Michael and I were both terrible flirts,” she said. “We were in the jungle and I was feeling very romantic towards him. It was going to happen.

‘Then I walked on set one day and his wife was suddenly there. She sat next to him and that was that. You don’t mess with another woman’s husband.’

When asked last night how she feels about Douglas ‘outing’ their illicit romance, Turner appeared far from upset: ‘Good heavens, what a fuss about something 40 years ago! I love Michael and I look forward to enjoying the book.’

Last night, a Hollywood producer who worked with Douglas said: ‘It was always one of Hollywood’s greatest rumours and now it’s been proven to be correct.

‘It took 40 years for him to admit it but you only have to watch the movie to know the sexual attraction was real.’