May defies ministers and US over Huawei
PM approves 5G network role for Chinese telecoms giant despite security warnings
THERESA MAY gave the green light yesterday for a Chinese telecoms company to supply technology for Britain’s new 5G network, despite warnings from the US and some of her most senior ministers that it poses a risk to national security.
The National Security Council, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, agreed yesterday afternoon to allow Huawei limited access to help build parts of the network such as antennas and other “non-core” infrastructure.
Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, the International Trade Secretary, and Penny Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary, were said to have raised concerns during the meeting. The decision is likely to anger the US, which has banned Huawei from government networks and put pressure on other partners in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada – to do the same.
It comes as Jeremy Fleming, the head of GCHQ, today warns that rogue states are threatening the British way of life with hacking and cyber attacks.
In a speech in Glasgow where all five members of the world’s largest intelligence cooperative appear together for the first time in the UK, Mr Fleming will talk about the risk from the “unprecedented” scale of cyber threats, and warn that the technological revolution is “exposing us to increasing complexity, uncertainty and risk”.
He will say: “It brings unprecedented challenges for policymakers as we seek to protect our citizens, judicial systems, businesses – and even societal norms.” Alex Younger, the MI6 chief, has previously said Britain needs to decide how “comfortable” it is with Chinese-owned companies having involvement in its telecoms infrastructure. Ciaran Martin, the chief executive of the UK’S National Cyber Security Centre – part of GCHQ – has said he is “confident” Britain can manage the risk posed by Huawei. The security services are said to believe the risks can be minimised.
Chinese companies are legally obliged to cooperate with the state’s intelligence agencies, a principle that has raised significant concerns in the West. The US, Australia and New Zealand have all barred Huawei from supplying key elements of their telecoms infrastructure. Canada is reviewing its position. Last year New Zealand became the latest country to bar a local network from using Huawei’s 5G equipment.
Huawei denies having ties to the Chinese government. However, critics point out that Ren Zhengfei, its founder, was in the country’s army and joined the Communist Party in 1978. There are questions about how much independence any large Chinese firm can have.
Mr Fleming will also reveal for the first time GCHQ is sharing secret intelligence with banks, companies and the public to provide them with early warning and advice on counter measures to “detect, disrupt and fix” attacks by rogue nations and cyber criminals.
“We have made it simple for our analysts to share time-critical, secret infor- mation in a matter of seconds,” he says. “With just one click, this information can be shared and action taken. He will say GCHQ’S “unique insights into the structural vulnerabilities of the internet” has already enabled HMRC to move from being the 16th most phished brand globally, to the 146th.