A decision on whether Huawei should be allowed into the UK’s 5G network infrastructure has been postponed to the next government, deferring a possible row between Boris Johnson and Donald Trump.
The outgoing culture secretary, Nicky Morgan, confirmed the decision – part of the Telecoms Supply Chain Review – would now be made after the general election on 12 December.
The US has been pressing the UK to block the Chinese company from accessing UK telecoms equipment, fearing it could then be used to spy on the west.
Huawei has always denied the allegations against it, saying it abides by the laws of each country in which its equipment is present.
It had been reported that the UK government was on the brink of giving Huawei access to non-contentious parts of the 5G network, a decision that would have infuriated the White House.
Responding to a letter on the issue from the chair of the foreign affairs committee, Tom Tugendhat, Morgan said: “While it was this government’s intention to conclude this aspect of the review in the autumn, the general election timetable and pre-election period mean that this will not now be possible.
“The decision will, therefore, be for the next government. I would expect that a future government would wish to inform parliament of its decision, once made, at the appropriate time.”
The decision on Huawei’s participation in UK 5G had already been delayed from July after the government said it could not adopt a firm position because of uncertainty created by US trade restrictions placed on the company over security fears.
Tugendhat said: “The foreign affairs committee has been investigating the way the autocratic states intervene in democracies. Many members have been concerned about the Chinese technological dominance, nowhere more than in the 5G market. I wrote to the [culture] secretary to ensure that no decision would be made in the tail end of the government.
“I’m pleased to hear that a decision that could nest a hostile state’s technology deep in the central nervous system of the UK communications network will be taken by a new administration after a full debate.
“This decision has major foreign policy implications as it calls into question our most important security partnership – the Five-Eyes Alliance, the intelligence-sharing deal between the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada – and our economic relationship with other nations.”
The decision comes only days after Ajit Pai, the chairman of the US telecoms regulator the Federal Communications Commission, proposed banning recipients of the regulator’s funds from using such money to purchase equipment or services from companies that were perceived to be a risk to the US, specifically Huawei.
In a sign of the strength of feeling in the US, the Republican lead on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, warned: “By taking control of critical hardware and software for next-generation technologies like 5G, the Chinese Communist party can increase its ability to coerce international companies, manufacturers, and even entire countries to adhere to the dictates of the CCP. There will be dire consequences should China successfully control and weaponise the global supply chain for technology.”
