Senior Tories tell government to ‘rule out’ Huawei from 5G plans
A number of senior Conservatives including four ex-cabinet ministers have written a letter to Tory MPs to raise concerns about the decision to give Huawei a role in the UK’s 5G network.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Owen Paterson, David Davis, Damian Green, Tobias Ellwood and Bob Seely, said they “working to find a better solution” and that there were alternatives to the Chinese tech firm.
They said they want “high-risk” vendors to be ruled out or at least phased out over time, according to the letter which the BBC has seen.
“We are seeking to identify a means by which we ensure that only trusted vendors are allowed as primary contractors into our critical national infrastructure,” it says.
“Trusted vendors would be companies from countries that have fair market competition, rule of law, respect human rights, data privacy and non-coercive government agencies.”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said they arrived at the decision to allow Huawei to be involved despite security concerns following a “rigorous” review by security experts.
He said that Huawei’s involvement would be restricted.
It comes after US vice-president Mike Pence said the US was “profoundly disappointed” with the UK’s decision.
The Tories’ letter said they want Downing Street to “rule out hi-tech from untrusted, high-risk vendors” in the UK’s infrastructure.
Adding that future legislation should include “sunset clauses” to limit the length of time these companies can be used.
The current restrictions on Huawei’s involvement includes banning the firm from supplying equipment to “sensitive parts” of the network.
It also only allows Huawei to account for 35 per cent of the kit in a network’s periphery, and excludes its use near military or nuclear sites.
But these senior Tories cited countries that had rejected Huawei completely, including Australia, Japan and the US.
Pence told CNBC using Huawei was not “consistent with the security or privacy interests of the UK, of the United States and it remains a real issue between our two countries”.
When asked if it cause a problem with plans to reach a free trade deal, he said: “We’ll see if it is.”
He added: “We’re anxious to build our economic ties.
“But we have made it clear to Prime Minister Johnson and to officials in the UK, that as we expand opportunities to build out 5G across this country… we want to see our companies meet the needs in the United States and UK and among all our allies without the compromise of privacy and the compromise of security that necessarily comes with Huawei and control by the Chinese Communist Party.”
Huawei has always denied it would help the Chinese government to spy or attack one of its clients.
The founder said he would rather “shut the company down” than help with “any spying activities”.