Criticism of Prime Minister Theresa May’s handling of Brexit is being compounded by censure of her government’s decision to use a major Chinese communications company to help set up the nation’s 5G network.
News of this emerged from leaks after the National Security Council gave early stage approvals for a deal. Frantic efforts are now being made to trace the whistleblower and possibly prosecute them. But the real issue is why would the government risk upsetting Britain’s closest allies by choosing the Huawei Corporation?
Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat warns, “Allowing Huawei into the UK’s 5G infrastructure would cause allies to doubt our ability to keep data secure and erode the trust essential to “Five Eyes” cooperation.”
Britain has sought help from Chinese companies on other infrastructure projects. In 2016, May approved China General Nuclear Power group and China National Nuclear Corporation becoming major investors in Hinkley Point C, a low carbon and high-cost facility.
As for Brexit, there is little chance of May’s hapless withdrawal deal being accepted in time to prevent Britain having to take part in the upcoming European Union elections. This was a reckless gamble to buy time that will now result in her squandering £100 million of taxpayer’s money to pay for a pointless election. Of course, this is loose change compared to the £39 billion she intends to hand over to Brussels in her Brexit deal. What taxpayers will get for their money is the chance to humiliate the Conservatives for a second time at the ballot box after the local government elections, which are being held this week.
No wonder Conservative MPs are desperate to be rid of her, though their latest attempt to change party rules to allow that to happen has just been blocked. Rather than Britain facing the abyss over Brexit, this looks to be their party’s fate.
And they still don’t get it. “Remain” politicians will claim that Britain is a model democracy, even after conspiring for three years to thwart the result of the biggest ballot in its history.
People were initially told of an arcane rule that involved a two-year process called “triggering article 50” that would result in Britain leaving the EU, and even this took May nine months just to begin. Then voters were told to wait even longer, and they are still waiting. This would never be tolerated in a general election, so why do they think it is acceptable for a referendum?
For a democracy to function, people and governments have to accept the result and then allow for the peaceful transition of power. In the case of a referendum, the government doesn’t change, but it still has to accept the verdict of the people.
May’s justification for delaying Brexit is to protect Britain from financial uncertainty — catastrophe as she believes. But Conservatives could make that point every time a Labour government wins an election.
If Jeremy Corbyn ever gets voted in, will his appointment be delayed to protect Britain from the financial uncertainties of his policies? Of course not. Will he have to come up with a deal that is acceptable to the Conservatives first? No, the vote will be respected because that is what democracy demands.
The referendum has been treated differently because ever since the 1972 European Communities Act, Britain’s general elections have been less important than its relationship with the EU. That should offer some hint as to why Brexit was never going to be easy.
Andrew Davies is a U.K.-based video producer and scriptwriter.
