Contractors linked to hostile foreign powers such as China will be the target of a new security taskforce if Labor wins the next general election.
In a joint initiative from the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, and the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, the new body will aim to anticipate risks to Britain’s national security.
It comes just days after the deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, said China represented the “biggest state-based threat” to Britain’s economic security. The government intervened in eight takeover attempts of UK companies by Chinese buyers last year over national security fears.
The taskforce will examine the trust of foreign contractors in public procurement. It follows revelations that the police network in England and Wales is vulnerable to surveillance due to its reliance on Chinese-made technology and the dispute over Huawei’s contract to roll out 5G in the UK.
In a speech at the defense and security thinktank of the Royal United Services Institute [RUSI] on Monday, Cooper will make the case that economic security and national security go hand in hand.
“Britain has some of the best security agencies in the world, but we face new threats and risks – including economic threats to our national security – that cannot be tackled through traditional intelligence methods. The government has failed to prioritize economic risks to our domestic security, which means our response to a rapidly changing security landscape is often fragmented, disorganized and delayed.
“This new taskforce will ensure we act to stop Britain being a safe haven for criminal money from serious organized crime, terrorism or hostile states, as well as ensuring we prepare for future threats including sensitive supply chains,” he said.
The new body will also target money laundering for terrorist groups, organized criminals and individuals connected to state threats.
The National Crime Agency estimates that £12bn of criminal money is generated in the UK and hundreds of billions of pounds of money is laundered every year.
Members of the taskforce will include ministers, members of the security services, the National Crime Agency and businessmen, Labor said.
Cooper will also announce plans for a law to stop extremist groups using AI for radicalization and terror threats.
“Labour will criminalize those who intend to train chatbots to disseminate terrorist material, with stronger action to monitor and stop radicalizing chatbots that incite violence or nurture extremists that view,” he said.
The shadow home secretary will build on the argument put forward by the shadow chancellor in Washington DC in May that geopolitics and the rapid development of new technology require a more active state and a new commitment to foster strong partnerships with international allies.
He said that Labor will seek to build a new consensus on national security, which manages the public interest rather than maintaining division or short-term games.
Reeves said: “For a long time the economic and financial security of our country has been weakened.
“In the face of an uncertain world, the work of Labour’s new taskforce will not only prioritize our economic strength and stability, but also protect Britain against greater criminal and security threats to families will feel safer across the board.”
