British defense chief fired in Huawei leak

LONDON — Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain on Wednesday abruptly fired her defense secretary, Gavin Williamson, blaming him for a leak of government information about a Chinese company’s role in sensitive telecommunications infrastructure, one of the most serious such leaks in recent years.

May’s announcement was made after an investigation into a report in The Daily Telegraph about discussions in Britain’s National Security Council, of which Williamson was a member.

The report suggested that May had overruled objections from some senior council members to allow the Chinese company, Huawei, to build some elements of the next-generation cellular data network known as 5G, though the government later said that no decision had yet been made.

The leak provoked a negative reaction from the United States, which has been on a campaign to pressure other countries to bar Huawei from building 5G networks.

Robert Strayer, the deputy assistant secretary for cyber and international communications and information policy at the State Department, said any use of the Chinese company posed a potential security risk.

May’s Cabinet has been divided over Britain’s departure from the European Union, known as Brexit. But the disclosure involving Huawei broke new ground and angered senior officials.

Williamson, once a close ally of May, was replaced by Penny Mordaunt, the international development secretary, who become the first woman to take the top job at Britain’s defense ministry.

But the sacking marks another low point for May and her rocky government, which has lost more than 30 ministers since she came to power in 2016.

May’s office released a letter she had written to Williamson.

“In our meeting this evening, I put to you the latest information from the investigation, which provides compelling evidence suggesting your responsibility for the unauthorized disclosure,” she wrote. “No other credible version of events to explain this leak has been identified.”

May wrote that all other members of the council who were involved in the April 23 meeting about Huawei had cooperated fully in an investigation into the leak, but “your conduct has not been of the same standard as others.”

Williamson responded Wednesday with a letter in which he said categorically: “I strenuously deny that I was in any way involved in this leak.”

Before becoming defense secretary Williamson had been chief whip, in charge of discipline among Conservative Party lawmakers, and was seen as a rising star in the party.

With May having announced her intention to step aside once Brexit has been achieved, he was among several Cabinet ministers who were thought to be a possible successor.