British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put himself on a collision course with President Trump by signaling he is prepared to allow Huawei to provide “non-core” elements of the country’s 5G phone network.
American national security officers in London to lobby British officials insist that allowing the Chinese company to provide technology for critical infrastructure was “nothing short of madness.”
The United Kingdom has been reviewing security concerns and could make a decision next week with a growing number of ministers in favor of granting Huawei partial access.
Johnson did little to dispel speculation that the Chinese company would get the green light, warning in a BBC interview that refusal risked delaying an election pledge.
“The British public deserve to have access to the best possible technology. I have talked about infrastructure and technology,” he said. “We want to put in gigabit broadband for everybody.”
“Now, if people oppose one brand or another, then they have to tell us which is the alternative. “On the other hand, let’s be clear, I don’t, as the U.K. prime minister, want to put in any infrastructure that is going to prejudice our national security or our ability to co-operate with Five Eyes intelligence.”
The switch to 5G promises to revolutionize communications and mobile internet access.
However, the United States is trying to persuade European allies to avoid using Huawei for fear Beijing could compel the company to facilitate surveillance and has warned the U.K. it could lose its position among the “Five Eyes” intelligence partners — with the U.S., Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
