Johnson resists US pressure to ban Huawei
● Prime Minister says critics must come up with alternative firm
Boris Johnson has declared he would not risk Britain’s security when upgrading the nation’s 5G communications network, but said critics of Chinese technology firm Huawei must come up with an “alternative” provider.
In an interview with the BBC yesterday, the Prime Minister said he did not want to “prejudice” the country’s ability to share intelligence with allies in the so-called Five Eyes arrangement – a collaboration between the UK, Australia, US, Canada and New Zealand – as a result of the improvements he had promised voters in his election manifesto.
It was reported yesterday that Washington had steppedup efforts to try and prevent Downing Street from backing Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s switch over to 5G.
Former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was leader when the country ruled out using Huawei for its 5G rollout, warned the UK could be “vulnerable” if it commissioned the Chinese firm.
A decision on which 5G vendor to use is due to be made by the UK government this month. The upgrade from 4G to 5G will revolutionise mobile internet capabilities. Consumers would be able to download a two-hour film in less than four seconds – well under the six minutes it takes on the 4G network.
But senior US officials were reported to have presented the British government with information to persuade it not to allow the Chinese tech giants to get a lucrative foothold in the UK market.
Technical information is believed to have been put forward in a meeting between US and British security officials on Monday. Asked about the reports in an interview with BBC Breakfast, Mr Johnson said: “The British public deserve to have access to the best possible technology.
“I have talked about infrastructure and technology. We want to put in gigabit broadband for everybody.
“Now, if people oppose one brand or another, then they have to tell us which is the alternative.
“On the other hand, let’s be clear. I don’t, as the UK Prime Minister, want to put in any infrastructure that is going to prejudice our national security or our ability to co-operate with Five Eyes intelligence.”
There was growing expectations that Mr Johnson would decide in favour of allowing the use of Huawei equipment in some “non-core” parts of the network, with a final decision due later this month.
The decision comes after Tory MP Bob Seely called for the foreign affairs committee to open an immediate investigation into Huawei’s suitability for use in Britain’s 5G network.