News / Foreign Policy

Boris Johnson expected to rule on Huawei tomorrow

Monday, 27 January 2020 7:06 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 27 January 2020 7:13 PM ]

The UK is under extreme pressure from the US government to ban Huawei from the UK's 5G networks

The British government is expected to make a decision tomorrow on the status and future role of the Chinese technology giant Huawei in the development of the UK’s 5G networks.

Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is chairing a meeting of the National Security Council tomorrow, where a decision is expected to be made. However, there are emerging reports that the decision may not be immediately announced to the public.

There is growing speculation that Johnson will opt for a half measure, namely to ban Huawei from the “core” parts of the UK networks.

Addressing the media today, the PM said he wants a system that delivers “consumer benefits” without undermining national infrastructure, security or the UK’s ties to “other intelligence agencies”.

That’s a thinly-veiled reference to the US which has been urging the UK to ban Huawei from the entire UK networks.

US pressure

Only two weeks ago a US delegation led deputy National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger visited London to present the UK government with new supposed “evidence” demonstrating inherent “security risks” posed by Huawei.

The US delegation reportedly told the British government it would be “madness” to utilize Huawei technology in the UK’s 5G networks.

For its part, the US government has taken a series of extreme measures against Huawei, including pressuring Canada to arrest Huawei’s deputy chairwoman and chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou.

Wanzhou is currently fighting extradition to the US where she faces financial fraud charges. There is credible speculation that the US is using the charges as a cover to detain Wanzhou with a view to interrogating her on sensitive aspects of Huawei’s operations.

British hardliners

Inside the British political establishment, opposition to Huawei is led by Tory MP, Tom Tugendhat, the former chairman of the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Commons. Tugendhadt is well-known for his hardline views on national security.

To see how extraordinary it is we’re even considering it, ask the question in reverse: would China let a British company build the critical national infrastructure that controls every other system?
— Tom Tugendhat (@TomTugendhat) January 27, 2020

Tugendhat’s position on Huawei is fully aligned with the US position, thus prompting a solidarity tweet from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The UK has a momentous decision ahead on 5G. British MP Tom Tugendhat gets it right: “The truth is that only nations able to protect their data will be sovereign.” https://t.co/8lLEUEUxdL
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 26, 2020

Pompeo was reacting to Tugendhat’s article in the Mail on Sunday (January 26), in which he framed the debate in both security and geopolitical terms by provocatively arguing that giving “control” to Beijing is “too big a risk”.

Ultimately, the whole Huawei story has become a test case for PM Johnson to demonstrate to what extent (if any) he can withstand US pressure.

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