Business and Trade Committee
House of Commons select committee that reviewed Britain's economic-security policy.
The Commons Business and Trade Committee warned on 4 February 2026 that allies fear Britain is becoming the weak link on supply-chain security, a warning the Conservative opposition invoked in August after Chinese components were found in Royal Navy equipment.
Last refreshed: 12 August 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Did the Commons committee's supply-chain warning predict the Navy's Chinese camera problem?
Timeline for Business and Trade Committee
warned of supply-chain exposure in February
Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea: Mentioned in: MoD: no data left the robot boatsBackground
The Business and Trade Committee is a House of Commons select committee that scrutinises the Department for Business and Trade. Its February 2026 report on Britain's economic-security policy concluded that allies fear Britain is becoming the weak link on supply-chain security, and that ministers must prove them wrong.
The committee, chaired by Liam Byrne, gave Parliament a benchmark against which to measure later supply-chain lapses. When The Telegraph reported in August 2026 that Chinese-made cameras on Royal Navy uncrewed vessels had been signalling to China, the Conservative opposition cited the committee's February warning directly in calling for an equipment audit, treating the finding as evidence the committee's concern had materialised.