Minister: don’t fall out with US over Huawei

A CABINET minister has warned against falling out with the US if Britain presses ahead with granting Huawei access to the UK’S 5G network.

The minister told The Daily Telegraph that it would be “hard to be happy” with a decision that the Americans were unhappy with.

Earlier this month, a delegation of senior US officials told UK ministers it would be “nothing short of madness” to grant Huawei the 5G contract.

While a review by Britain’s intelligence services concluded that the security risks could be managed if Huawei has access to the less sensitive parts of the network, the US has continued to express concerns about the security implications.

The Cabinet minister said: “If the security services are happy, it is hard to be unhappy. But if the Americans are unhappy, then it is hard to be happy.”

Ren Zhengfei, Huawei’s founder, yesterday dismissed Washington’s concerns, and said: “It is used to being the world No1. If someone is better than them, they may not feel comfortable.”

Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Mr Zhengfei said the US is “over-concerned” about the Chinese firm, which he said could survive even if Washington moves to “further escalate the campaign against Huawei”. Last year, the Trump administration banned US companies from selling goods and services to Huawei without a licence.

The National Security Council (NSC), chaired by Boris Johnson, will make a final decision on the UK’S wireless network, with opinion leaning towards a rejection of US demands to ban Huawei.

Some MPS expect an NSC decision on Huawei to come next Tuesday, although sources close to the US yesterday indicated that they think it will be delayed.