# Tougher penalties for undersea sabotage

> “The UK’s undersea cables and pipelines will be better protected from hostile threats under plans unveiled today to introduce tougher prison sentences and unlimited fines on ship owners that damage critical national infrastructure.”
>
> — HM Government; Press release (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport), 22 October 2026

- **Status:** Promised
- **Status ladder:** Promised → In plan → Legislated → Funded → Delivering → Delivered
- **Policy area:** [Police, courts, prisons](https://ledgergov.uk/promises/area/police-courts-and-prisons)
- **Speaker:** [HM Government](https://ledgergov.uk/actor/hm-government)
- **Made on:** 22 October 2026
- **Where:** Press release (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
- **Cost a year:** No costing published
- **Who it affects:** The UK's undersea cables and pipelines, and those who damage them
- **When:** Not stated
- **Paid for by:** Not stated when it was announced
- **Quote source:** https://www.gov.uk/government/news/subsea-cable-saboteurs-face-jail-and-unlimited-fines-under-new-security-crackdown (checked word for word at its source on 25 October 2026; Open Government Licence v3.0)
- **Last updated:** 25 October 2026
- **Card:** https://ledgergov.uk/promise/uk-undersea-cable-penalties-2026

## Where it stands

The Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, said the government is toughening the law. A White Paper published the same day proposes new offences, prison sentences of up to 14 years for intentionally damaging undersea energy and telecoms infrastructure, and new security duties on subsea telecoms cable providers. It opens a 12-week consultation. No date is given for a Bill. The card moves when legislation is introduced in Parliament.

## Timeline

- 22 October 2026, Promised: The government sets out plans for tougher prison sentences and unlimited fines for damaging undersea cables and pipelines

## About the cost

No cost has been published.

## Sources

- [Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport press release, 22 Oct 2026: Subsea cable saboteurs face jail and unlimited fines under new security crackdown](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/subsea-cable-saboteurs-face-jail-and-unlimited-fines-under-new-security-crackdown)

## Checks

- Checked automatically by AI Journalist, not yet verified by an editor.
- Checked by AI Journalist (automated) on 25 October 2026.

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