Johnson defies US over Huawei
BORIS Johnson has defied Donald Trump by giving the green light for Chinese firm Huawei to have a limited role in the UK’s 5G network.
The National Security Council, in a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister in Downing Street which lasted for less than 90 minutes, decided that “high-risk vendors” should be permitted to play a peripheral role in the network.
But advice issued to telecoms operators by the National Cyber Security Centre said such vendors should be barred from all safety-related and critical networks and locations, including military bases and nuclear facilities.
High-risk firms will also have their presence limited to no more than 35% in the periphery of the network, known as the access network, which connects devices and equipment to mobile phone masts.
The Government has promised to legislate “at the earliest opportunity” to put the new guidance into law.
Mr Trump’s administration had lobbied against the UK allowing Huawei access as the US engages in a global struggle for influence with China. Washington was informed of the UK’s decision only after it was announced, but Mr Johnson is expected to speak directly to Mr Trump.
Senior Republicans in the US were quick to hit out at the announcement.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney said it was “tragic” that the Prime Minister had “chosen the surveillance state over the special relationship”.
Senator Mitt Romney said: “By prioritising costs, the UK is sacrificing national security and inviting the CCP’s surveillance state in. I implore our British allies to reverse their decision.”
The US administration warned that British sovereignty would be put at risk by the move, and has issued threats over an impact on intelligence-sharing due to Huawei’s close ties to the Beijing government.
But Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said there would be no impact on the Five Eyes alliance – the partnership between the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. He said: “GCHQ have categorically confirmed that how we construct our 5G and full fibre public telecoms network has nothing to do with how we share classified data.”
Huawei vice-president Victor Zhang welcomed the UK’s “evidence-based” decision.
Senior Tories have also hit out at the decision, with former party leader Sir Iain Duncan-Smith saying it “beggars belief” to allow Huawei to play a role while “we have a cyber war going on with China”.
Senior MP Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee in the last parliament, said the decision “does not close the UK’s networks to a frequently malign international actor”.
But Confederation of British Industry policy director Matthew Fell said: “This solution appears a sensible compromise.”
The implementation of 5G is expected to bring with it download speeds 10 times faster than what 4G currently offers.