Subsea cable saboteurs face jail and unlimited fines under new security crackdown
What was announced
The UK’s undersea cables and pipelines will be better protected from hostile threats under plans unveiled today.
Key points, in the publisher's words
- Tougher penalties - including lengthy prison sentences and unlimited fines - proposed for those who intentionally, recklessly or negligently damage the undersea cables and pipelines carrying UK’s gas, electricity and international data
- New security and resilience laws would require subsea telecoms cable providers to better identify and manage risks to vital infrastructure
- White Paper published today sets out powers that would allow government to act where national security is at risk, including amid suspicious Russian activity around critical undersea infrastructure.
Figures in this announcement
Each line is quoted from the original. Figures are as the publisher stated them on the day.
- “The fibre-optic cables running along the seabed connect the UK to the rest of the world, carrying around 99% of our international data and underpinning everything from messages and video calls to online banking and shopping.”
- “The UK’s energy supply is highly dependent on undersea infrastructure, with undersea pipelines providing 74% of the UK’s gas supply and undersea electricity cables providing vital supply from Europe and the UK’s growing offshore wind sector.”
Check it against the official record
The latest official figures on the subjects this story covers, each with its source and full history:
Who and where
People
- Ian Murray (MP for Edinburgh South (Labour)) · more news
- Michael Shanks (MP for Rutherglen (Labour)) · more news
- Dan Jarvis (MP for Barnsley North (Labour)) · more news
UK bodies of power
- Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (UK government department) · more news
Constituencies of the MPs named: Edinburgh South, Rutherglen, Barnsley North.
Where this sits in the 10 levels of power
Topics, as GOV.UK files them: Communications and telecomms.
Receipt
- Original: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/subsea-cable-saboteurs-face-jail-and-unlimited-fines-under-new-security-crackdown
- Published 2026-10-22 12:04:00 UTC
- Read by this site 2026-10-23 19:45:11 UTC from GOV.UK
- Saved copy: receipt 745, with its SHA-256 fingerprint
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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