Former consumer tech-hack turned minister for digital and broadband in the UK Matt Warman said that research suggests by 2025 there will be 75 billion internet-connected devices in homes around the world but the current security standards of many of these devices are low and the security and privacy risks are too great.

He said the ban was pro-innovation regulation and the government is developing new legislation to hold firms manufacturing and stocking internet-connected devices to account to stop hackers threatening people's privacy and safety.

"These new laws will mean consumers are protected from devices which do not adhere to the three rigorous security requirements we've developed alongside a code of conduct. These measures will mean all the passwords pre-programmed in internet-connected devices must be unique and not resettable to any universal factory setting", he said.