UK Government Announces New Laws for Submarine Cable Protection

By William Barrow, Stuart Blythe, Joshua Cole, Jonathan Gordon, Derek Jones, Costa Smith, Baker Botts L.L.P
June 9, 2026

On 29 May 2026, The Baroness Lloyd of Effra CBE (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Digital Economy)) announced the UK government's plan to introduce tougher laws protecting submarine communications cables.

Submarine communications cables are the fibre-optic cables laid on the ocean floor that carry the vast majority (over 99%) of international data traffic. They underpin international connectivity, economic growth and national security. Damage and disruption to submarine cables therefore has severe consequences and protection of this critical infrastructure has become a strategic priority for governments and industry across the world.

The UK government’s proposals, which will be subject to consultation and set out in a white paper later this year (being an official policy document that outlines the government's proposals for future legislation), rest on three pillars: resilience through growth, deterrence, and security.

There are three key elements to the proposal:

1. Implementing new security obligations for cable owners and operators, requiring them to prevent, detect and respond to security compromises in a consistent and timely manner.
2. Replacing the current, 140-year-old, legislation on damage to submarine cables with a modern criminal framework that imposes tougher fines and prison sentences on vessel owners and operators that intentionally or recklessly damage submarine cables.
3. Providing new emergency powers to allow government to direct businesses to protect cables during major incidents.

Notably, the announcement also referred to:

• The UK government’s formal endorsement of the European Subsea Cables Association’s new Fishing Liaison Guidelines (which provide a blueprint for safe coexistence and risk reduction between the submarine cable and fishing industries and addresses accidental cable faults caused by fishing equipment and dragged anchors).
• Detailed market engagement being carried out by the UK government to retain UK-based, UK flagged sovereign repair capability (i.e. UK dedicated cable repair ships) to improve cable repair times in UK waters.
• Work being undertaken by the National Protective Security Authority and the National Cyber Security Centre to deliver detailed, up-to-date physical and cyber-security guidance for cable landing station operators.
• The newly expanded National Wealth Fund as a vehicle that the UK government intends to use to upgrade and deploy critical submarine infrastructure.

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