MINISTERS are delaying the crucial announcement that Huawei can work on Britain’s 5G mobile phone network until after Donald Trump comes to Britain.
The hotly-anticipated announcement will not be made ahead of the President’s arrival next month in case it triggers a fresh row, as the White House is trying to ban the Chinese tech firm.
AP:Associated Press
One source said it is “safe to assume” that the result of the Telecoms Supply Chain Review will be announced to Parliament after the state visit.
“I’m not aware of any deadline,” the insider said.
It emerged almost a month ago that Theresa May had given the green light to Huawei building the next generation of telecoms equipment in the UK after intelligence agencies assured her it was safe to do so.
The leak of the National Security Council discussions led to Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson being sacked and sparked a huge row as senior politicians warned that it could lead to hacking and espionage by China.
But the official announcement has still not been made, and is being held back to avoid it overshadowing the Trump visit.
The US has been the strongest opponent of Huawei, threatening to stop sharing intelligence with the UK if its networks cannot be trusted.
Last week President Trump banned American telecoms firms from using foreign-made equipment deemed a national security risk, in a move that effectively bars Huawei from the country.
And yesterday Silicon Valley giant Google restricted Huawei’s access to its Android operating system for smartphones.
EPA
