Prime Minister Boris Johnson has instructed officials to draft plans to reduce China’s involvement in the UK’s infrastructure to zero by 2023.
Security officials have launched a review of Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s 5G network in the wake of United States sanctions.
HM’s Government confirmed that the National Cyber Security Centre was “looking carefully at any impact they could have to the UK’s networks,” following the recent decision in America would place additional laws on the telecommunications firm.
The news follows after the Telegraph reported that Mr Johnson intended to reduce Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s 5G network in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Prime Minister has instructed officials to draw up plans that would reduce China’s involvement in the UK’s infrastructure to zero by 2023.
In Prime Minister’s Questions last week Mr Johnson said that greater measures would be taken to tackle hostile countries like Russia and China to protect the UK’s “technological base”.
He said it was “absolutely right to be concerned about the buying up of UK technology by countries that may have ulterior motives” and added that the Government was “bringing forward measures to make sure we protect our technological base”.
Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, said that: “this review has one purpose of how to get Huawei out of the system and not whether we should.”
He continued: “Huawei has to be taken out of our systems,
“We can no longer be dependent on an untrusted vendor in a country that has an appalling record of theft on intellectual property and human rights. We shouldn’t be putting our most vital communications strategy in their hands.”
Bob Seely, the Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight who is one of the 59 MPs in the Huawei interest group who have called on the Government to cut ties with Huawei, said: “we are keen to work with the Government to find a new position but it has to be without Huawei in our communications network”.
“To have a high risk vendor in our communications system is a bizarre concept and a concerning thing in itself.
“China has become much more aggressive and assertive. I think there has been a reluctance to accept what is going on but the price of not moving and having the wrong policy would be worse.”
Mr Johnson is due to visit the US for the G7 summit next month in what will be his first trip abroad since the coronavirus crisis unfolded.
A spokesperson for the Government said: “The security and resilience of our networks is of paramount importance.
“Following the US announcement of additional sanctions against Huawei, the NCSC is looking carefully at any impact they could have to the UK’s networks.”
[give_form id=”1772″ show_title=”false” show_goal=”false” show_content=”below” display_style=”reveal”]
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
[sibwp_form id=4]
