MPs can trip over Huawei

A diplomatic row has erupted between Britain and Australia over the UK’s decision to allow Huawei technology to be used in its 5G network.

Senior Australian politicians have cancelled a trip to Britain amid fury about a letter sent by Victoria Treadell, Britain’s high commissioner to Australia, to the chairman of the Australian parliament’s security and intelligence committee. Treadell’s letter referred to revelations in the Sydney Morning Herald that during a meeting in Canberra last week Anthony Byrne, deputy chairman of the committee, had rebuked Dominic Raab, the UK foreign secretary, over plans to allow Huawei a role in Britain’s 5G telecoms upgrade. Over the weekend the Herald reported that members of the committee were ‘‘incensed’’ by the letter.

The committee was to travel to Britain next month to meet its opposite numbers on the Commons intelligence committee and other national security figures as part of the countries’ membership of the Five Eyes alliance – the quintet of the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand that shares sensitive intelligence. However, the trip has been cancelled suddenly.

Late on Saturday, the Australian House of Representatives tweeted that the British trip had been delayed on the advice of Australia’s high commissioner in the UK, ‘‘as he advised that counterpart committees in the UK have not yet reconstituted following the UK’s December election’’.

Two years ago the company was banned from taking part in a 5G phone roll-out on the advice of Australian security agencies. – The Times