Johnson prepares to scrap Huawei from UK 5G network
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to draw up plans this month to start phasing out Huawei from the UK’s 5G infrastructure in a major U-turn following pressure from security agencies.
A security review from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a branch of GCHQ, is understood to have revised assurances that risks posed by Huawei can be safely handled by the UK government, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
The report, which is set to be passed to the PM this week, is expected to conclude that fresh US sanctions on the Chinese vendor will force Huawei to use unsafe technology that could imperil UK security.
In May, US President Donald Trump imposed new sanctions on Huawei which reduced the company’s ability to use American-made chips in its telecom products. The move came amid mounting concerns that technology made by the Chinese tech company could be used for state spying in Beijing. Huawei has repeatedly denied the claims.
The NCSC review has concluded that the sanctions have had a “severe” impact on Huawei that will significantly change their operations and could impact the UK.
Johnson last week vowed to protect Britain from “hostile state vendors,” while culture secretary Oliver Dowden said US sanctions were “likely” to have an impact on Huawei’s viability as a 5G supplier.
Security officials are now said to be drawing up plans to ban new Huawei technology from the UK’s 5G networks in as little as six months, and to strip Huawei technology that is already in place.
Asked about the reports on Sky News this morning, health secretary Matt Hancock said he wouldn’t comment on “leaks”. However, he added that But he added the report revealed “there were a number of conditions that needed to be met”.
“I’m sure that the National Security Council will look at those conditions and make the right decision on this to make sure that we have both a very strong telecoms infrastructure and everyone can get a phone signal,” Hancock added.
Huawei’s head of international media, Paul Harrison, responded by claiming that UK policy is “being dictated” by the Trump administration.
“Shouldn’t the US respect a United Kingdom in the post-Brexit era being in a position to chose its own telecommunication strategy?,” Harrison tweeted.
He added the US had “consistently failed to provide evidence to back up endless spurious allegations”.
UK vendors have warned that U-turning on the Huawei deal, which granted the Chinese firm to build 35 per cent of the 5G UK’s infrastructure, would prove costly, and would slow down the government’s roll out of new phone networks.
BT, which owns the EE network, has said it would cost the company £500m to comply with the government’s 35 per cent cap on Huawei equipment.
It comes as international relations with China have continued to sour over recent weeks, after Beijing imposed a new security law handing China sweeping powers over Hong Kong.
Tory MPs urged the Prime Minister to take a firm stance in his dealings with the Chinese telecoms equipment company in light of the security law.
Conservative MP Bob Seely told City A.M: “We need to be supportive of trade with China, but we need to be mindful that China is becoming more adversarial, and more communist, to be frank. We can’t just have business as usual, that would be unethical.”
Fellow Tory MP Damian Green told City A.M. that “the chances of keeping Huawei out of 5G are getting stronger by the week”.
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