The UK National Security Council, chaired by Prime Minister Theresa May, is understood to have agreed at a meeting on Tuesday 23 April to allow Chinese technology company Huawei to help build the country's 5G mobile networks, reports The Telegraph.
Huawei will be allowed limited access to help build non-core network infrastructure such as antennas. The decision not to ban Huawei from building 5G networks comes despite warnings from the US Government and senior ministers that the company poses a threat to national security. It is understood that Home Secretary, Sajid Javid; Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt; International Trade Secretary, Liam Fox; and International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, all expressed concerns about the decision.
The decision will likely upset the US Government, which has put pressure on its 'Five Eyes' intelligence allies (Canada, UK, New Zealand, Australia) to ban the use of Huawei network equipment. Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons Foreign Intelligence Committee, told The Telegraph that the decision would cause allies to question the UK's ability to keep data secure and 'erode the trust essential to Five Eyes cooperation'. He said it was unwise to work on critical national infrastructure with a state that was not always friendly.
