BACKLASH OVER 5G HUAWEI DEAL 5G HUAWEI DEAL
US and MPs accuse Boris of sacrificing security as he clears China tech giant to work on new network
BORIS Johnson was fighting to contain a ferocious backlash at home and abroad last night after giving Huawei the green light to take part in the rollout of the 5G network.
After months of Cabinet wrangling, the Prime Minister yesterday announced the controversial Chinese tech giant will be permitted a role – despite pressure from the US and Tory MPs to ban the firm.
Under the compromise solution, Huawei equipment can be used in ‘non-core’ parts of the network. But its market share will be capped at 35 per cent. And Downing Street said it would work with allies to find alternatives in the hope of driving down the firm’s share over time.
Officials had warned that banning Huawei could slow down the rollout of 5G and full-fibre broadband by up to three years and cost the economy tens of billions of pounds in lost competitiveness. Britain’s security services classified Huawei as a ‘high-risk vendor’ because of its close links with the oppressive Chinese state. But GCHQ and other spy agencies advised the PM that the risk could be contained provided Huawei remains banned from core functions.
Donald Trump, who has urged the UK to ban Huawei completely, made no public comment last night after being talked through the decision by Mr Johnson in a tense phone call. During the call, the PM pledged to work with ‘likeminded’ allies to diversify the technology market and ‘break the dominance’ of companies such as Huawei.
A UK security source also played down the risk of losing intelligence sharing with ‘Five Eyes’ partners in the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The source said: ‘There have been no threats of withdrawal of intelligence sharing.’ But ministers are braced for a potential row with the US administration today when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives in London for a two-day visit. One source said Mr Pompeo was ‘at the hawkish end’ of the issue.
Senior US politicians in Congress reacted with fury.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton called for a review of US intelligence sharing with the UK, and likened the decision to ‘allowing the KGB to build its telephone network during the Cold War’.
He added: ‘I fear London has freed itself from Brussels only to cede sovereignty to Beijing.’
Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney urged the PM to reverse the ‘disconcerting’ decision, saying: ‘By prioritising costs the UK is sacrificing national security and inviting the Chinese communist party’s surveillance state in.’
At Westminster, Mr Johnson faced the first Tory mutiny of the new government, with a string of MPs questioning the decision.
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the decision ‘beggars belief’, and questioned why ministers were allowing a hostile state such as China any role in the UK’s telecoms network.
Sir Iain said China was ‘a threat to us in cyber-security’ and he was ‘deeply disappointed’ by the decision. Former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt described the decision as ‘regrettable’.
The scale of the rebellion prompted fears among Tory whips that the legislation could face problems when it reaches the Commons, even with Mr Johnson’s 80-seat majority. The rollout of the super-fast 5G network is seen as vital to improving the UK’s productivity and meeting the PM’s pledge to bring greater prosperity to the regions.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said ‘market failure’ meant the UK had little choice but to use Huawei unless it was willing to accept long delays and higher costs.
Huawei says it would never act as an agent of the Chinese state, but security officials confirmed they considered the firm ‘high risk’.
The designation means the firm will be banned from involvement in the ‘core’ of the network, which has access to the most sensitive data. But it will be permitted to supply masts, antennae and cables except close to sensitive geographic locations, such as nuclear sites and military bases. Yesterday’s decision followed a 90minute meeting of the National Security Council. Several ministers, including Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Home Secretary Priti Patel, are known to have concerns about Huawei but accepted the risks could be managed for now.
The Government wants to reduce Huawei’s market share over time by working with Western allies to bring new entrants into the market. But sources predicted this process would take two to three years, and said the UK could not afford to wait before getting on with 5G.
Former prime minister Theresa May welcomed yesterday’s decision, saying it ‘protects our national security, but also recognises the interests of our economy’.
BORIS Johnson’s masterplan for making Brexit a shining success involves placing the UK at the vanguard of the new technological revolution.
The Prime Minister believes it imperative to roll out 5G and super-fast broadband nationwide by the next election.
Lightning-fast connectivity would turbocharge economic growth, attract investment, boost productivity and ‘level up’ the North and Midlands – a much-heralded promise to voters who handed him No 10’s keys.
But to seize these opportunities, Downing Street is supping with the devil.
To widespread consternation, Mr Johnson will allow telecoms giant Huawei to build parts of our crucial 5G network – despite fears it’s a Trojan horse for Chinese spies.
There are profound concerns the firm, entwined with the Communist state, will hoover up secrets, plant bugs, sabotage power supplies and interfere in elections.
After all, China – as seen in its handling of the coronavirus crisis – remains a secretive, totalitarian and hostile country.
The Mail, too, is troubled by the risks Boris’s decision poses. But while this paper cannot wholeheartedly welcome his verdict, we fully understand it.
Mr Johnson (handed this poisoned chalice by Theresa May) concludes there are powerful arguments in favour of Huawei.
Its kit – regarded as superior, cheaper and more advanced than its rivals – is already extensively used in Britain’s existing 4G network. Banning the firm would mean ripping this out – incurring a huge bill.
And excluding the tech behemoth would mean delays of up to three years – costing the economy tens of billions of pounds.
Meanwhile, British spy chiefs insist they can neuter any threat to national security. Huawei will not supply technology to sensitive ‘core’ parts of the network. And it will be barred from areas near military bases and nuclear plants.
Intelligence sharing with the US is unlikely to be harmed. But Mr Johnson risks enraging Donald Trump – who demanded we completely block Huawei – at a time the UK is seeking a post-Brexit trade deal.
Our Prime Minister suffered brickbats from the Left that he would, just like Tony Blair, be a fawning White House ‘poodle’. This decision dispels that foolish notion.
Still, the disquieting saga begs a serious question: Why did the UK (and our allies) fail spectacularly to develop homegrown 5G instead of becoming beholden to a hostile power? It’s an unforgivable blunder.
Despite reservations, the die is cast. Boris, showing leadership, hasn’t kicked the can down the road. Britain is now able to move forward with an exciting new technology as we leave the EU.
Nevertheless, if in future we are hit by a calamitous Huawei-enabled cyber-attack, on his head the blame will fall.