UK Eyes New Law as 1885 Telegraph Act Proves Inadequate for Cable Sabotage

The UK government is planning to introduce new legislation to address the sabotage of undersea cables, as current laws are deemed inadequate to tackle modern threats. The existing Submarine Telegraph Act of 1885 imposes fines of £1,000, which is considered insufficient. The government's Strategic Defence Review proposes a new defence readiness bill to cover state-sponsored cybercrime and subsea cable attacks. The current fine is seen as "out of step with the modern-day risk" by Ministry of Defence parliamentary under-secretary Luke Pollard. The government is considering increasing fines to £5,000 through secondary legislation, but this is still seen as insufficient. Recent incidents include suspected Russian attacks on underwater data cables in the Baltic Sea, prompting Sweden to deploy forces to the area. A report by the China Strategic Risks Institute found that eight out of ten identified vessels involved in sabotage incidents between 2021 and 2025 were linked to China or Russia. The new legislation aims to provide a more effective deterrent against subsea cable sabotage. The UK government recognizes the need for stronger laws to protect its critical infrastructure from state-sponsored attacks. The proposed bill is expected to provide a more robust response to the growing threat of subsea cable sabotage.