Former British military could face jail if caught training Chinese fighter pilots

FORMER British military could face prison if they are caught training Chinese fighter pilots.

Ex-RAF, navy and army pilots will be prosecuted for sharing military tactics with foreign powers if they are found teaching rival top guns under new laws.

It comes in the wake of serious concerns over Beijing spying in Westminster and revelations that UK fighter pilots have been training troops in China.

It emerged last year that around 30 former British military pilots had been teaching the People’s Liberation Army, lured by huge salaries of £240,000.

Now any former UK Armed Forces personnel who trains foreign militaries around the world can be prosecuted under the National Security Act.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Anyone found to be acting against the UK’s interests by training our competitors’ militaries can now expect to be pursued and brought to justice.

“The government has acted decisively following the identification of this threat, and has made rapid changes to legislation to help shut it down.”

The UK government is also working with our allies experiencing similar problems to fight the issue internationally.

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat added: “In recent years we’ve seen attempts to harm our people, damage our economy and undermine our democracy.

"We’ve also seen attempts from countries such as China to solicit national secrets from former Armed Forces personnel.”

Military personnel who have any concerns or are aware of suspicious activity are also being encouraged to call the MoD confidential crime line.

Rishi Sunak is also said to be considering banning Chinese officials from half of his artificial intelligence safety summit in November.