Boris Johnson has risked the fury of Donald Trump by giving the go-ahead for Huawei to help build the UK’s 5G infrastructure – but only the “periphery of the network”, and capping the Chinese tech giant’s market share at 35 per cent.
It comes as the PM’s proposal for an Australian-style points-based immigration system for the bulk of migrants has been rejected by a government-commissioned review. It also recommended ministers lower a £30,000 salary threshold.
A new Brexit row with the EU has also emerged, with a leaked document indicating Brussels is set to demand the European Court of Justice (ECJ) enforces trade deal rules. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said the UK could “not accept” such a move.
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PM faces Tory backlash over huge 5G decision
It’s decision time. Boris Johnson is widely expected to defy the Trump administration and many of his own MPs by giving the green light to Huawei to help build part of the UK’s 5G infrastructure.
Johnson – who will confirm his decision at a meeting of the National Security Council this morning before an announcement in the Commons this afternoon – is facing a major Tory backlash on the issue.
Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt questioned the “wisdom” of the move, former party leader Iain Duncan Smith said it was “utterly bizarre”, and former foreign affairs select committee chief Tom Tugendhat urged the PM against “nesting that dragon” and letting the “fox into the hen house”.
Ahead of a visit to London by US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Wednesday, former Trump advisor Tim Morrison said it threatened the transatlantic trade deal.
“We are talking about allowing the Chinese Communist Party into the telecommunications system,” he told the BBC.
More details here:
Boris Johnson faces major Tory backlash amid row over critical Huawei decision
PM to chair a meeting of the National Security Council on TuesdayBrexiteer attacks ‘unacceptable’ Brussels demand
A new Brexit trade row is brewing only days away from the UK’s exit from the European Union.
Brussels will reportedly attempt to gain the upper hand before trade talks start late next month by insisting European judges continue to hold sway after Brexit.
According to The Times, a leaked diplomatic document suggests the EU is preparing to demand that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) is able to enforce rules on trade, fishing and security even after Britain is classified as a third country.
A document seen by the paper reportedly states that having a defined role for the Luxembourg court, which adjudicates on EU laws, would “ensure consistent interpretation of the agreement” between the UK and EU.
Staunch Brexiteer and former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith is not happy. “We have simply got to say no,” he told the newspaper. “Nobody in their right minds would accept this and if they continue to pursue this then we simply have to walk away.”
Labour warned against adopting ‘rejoin EU’ position
The Labour Party will find it “impossible” to win back power at the next general election without support from socially conservative voters, according to new research.
Examining Labour’s worst electoral defeat of the post-war era, the Europe for the Many report claims the December vote exposed new political divides in Britain and said the Tories built a “remarkable” alliance between traditional shires and Leave-voting towns.
It cautions against adopting a rejoin position on EU membership, and calls on Labour to concentrate on holding the Conservatives to account as the ministers attempt to thrash out a trading relationship with the bloc.
It warned: “Avoid making shallow appeals to these voters. Do not adopt insincere slogans or messages like ‘one nation Labour’ or ‘British jobs for British workers’. This is self-defeating, reinforces Tory messaging and risks eroding the Labour coalition. Focus on the economic policy offers that have support.”
All the details here:
Labour will find it ‘impossible’ to win next election without support from socially conservative voters, says report
‘If the economy becomes the most important issue then Labour can break up this potentially fragile Tory coalition’China ‘building surveillance state’ says Tory MP
Tory MP Bob Seeley has urged Boris Johnson to think again about allowing Huawei any role in building the nation’s 5G infrastructure.
“China is building a surveillance state the kind of which the world has not seen,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “And I don’t think we’re though through what that means for the next century in terms of human freedom and data privacy.”
“We can control Facebook and we can influence Google because they’re western companies … China isn’t. And I do think there are going to be long-term concerns about the amount of leverage that comes from China.”
Fake news worse during election than Brexit vote, say whistleblower
The state of fake news on Facebook is no better now than it was at the time of the EU referendum, a Cambridge Analytica whistleblower has warned while accusing the social media giant of undermining people’s rights.
Brittany Kaiser served as business development director at the political consulting firm before it ceased operations after being accused of harvesting data from millions of Facebook profiles without permission from users.
“I saw in the last British election so much widespread usage of fake news, disinformation and even suppression campaigns that look very similar, if not worse, than what we saw in 2016,” she said.
Writing for The Independent, Kaiser said the world was facing a “democratic crisis” and that she believed “our rights are being undermined by the world’s largest communications platform – Facebook – and no one is being held accountable.”
All he details here:
Fake news worse during election campaign than Brexit referendum, whistleblower says
‘We must act now to protect ourselves as voters, or we will continue to see Facebook profit off the erosion of our freedoms’‘Get Ready for Brexit’ campaign cost £46m – without making people feel prepared
Remember the time the government launched a multi-million pound publicity blitz to prepare the public for leaving the EU in way so dangerous you couldn’t possibly prepare for it?
According to the National Audit Office, £46m was spent on the “Get ready for Brexit” campaign ahead of the non-departure in October.
Gareth Davies, the head of the spending watchdog, said it was “not clear that the campaign resulted in the public being significantly better prepared”.
All the details here:
Multi-million pound 'Get Ready for Brexit' campaign failed to make a difference, watchdog finds
Publicity splurge was much-mocked at the time for leaving people in the darkRestoring Beeching lines could help ‘millions’ of commuters, transport secretary claims
The government is going ahead with plans to reverse historical “Beeching” cuts to the railways, despite critics warning its £500m budget is not sufficient.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps is pledging to give £100,000 towards a feasibility study into reopening the train line linking the Lancashire town Fleetwood to Poulton-le-Fylde.
The Fleetwood line was shut in 1970 as part of a ripping-up of Britain’s tracks – as recommended by the Beeching Report. More than 5,000 miles of track and nearly 1,500 stations were closed between 1964 and 1970.
Another area that could benefit from the £500m fund designed to restore passenger services is Blyth, Shapps granting £1.5 million towards generating ideas for re-establishing the Ashington-Blyth-Tyne line in Northumberland.
While the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said the amount set aside was “a drop in the ocean”, Labour’s shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said it “seems designed to distract from the imminent collapse of the Northern rail franchise”.
Explaining the idea on BBC Breakfast, Shapps claimed: “There’s a potential here to reach millions of people, and that’s what we intend to do.”
Boris Johnson enjoying post-election honeymoon
The latest YouGov poll for The Times puts the Conservatives on 49 per cent – 20 points ahead of Labour.
UK free to decide about Huawei – but it’ll come at a cost
Boris Johnson is set to make clear his decision on whether to allow Huawei to play a major role in Britain’s 5G network when he chairs the National Security Council meeting this morning.
Our editorial argues, the highly “uncomfortable” decision is “an illustration of the challenges we will increasingly face after Brexit”.
Government urged to cut £30,000 salary threshold for migrants
A major review into government immigration plans has essentially rejected Boris Johnson’s proposal for an “Australian-style” points-based system for the bulk of migrants.
The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) – which provides independent, evidence-based advice to the government – has made a string of recommendations, including cutting the £30,000 earnings threshold.
The report recommends the PM should reduce the salary threshold for skilled migrants to £25,600 – dropping the existing £30,000 limit by £4,400 for those coming to the UK with a job offer.
Teachers and skilled NHS workers “would continue to benefit from lower salary thresholds”. But a higher threshold should be kept for higher paid occupations, the report also recommends.
The review recommended the use of points - earned on factors like age, qualifications and previous study in the UK - only for more highly-skilled migrants without a job offer.
Committee chairman Alan Manning said: “The government should ensure that the mistakes of previous UK points-based systems are not repeated.”
Boris Johnson proposal for new 'Australian-style' immigration rules after Brexit rejected
Proposed changes will cut immigration after Brexit, but also reduce size of UK economy, says expert panel‘We will always be allies’, say UK’s Europe minister
Europe minister Christopher Pincher, taking part in the last scheduled ministerial meeting in Brussels before the UK’s exit from the EU, said it was a “historic week”.
He told reporters: “I’m here to reassert to my EU friends and colleagues that, though we are leaving the EU, we are not leaving Europe.
“Our shared history, our shared values, our commitment to security and prosperity continue as equals - sovereign equals.
“I’m looking forward to talking to my colleagues here today, reasserting those values and assuring them that as we leave the EU we will always be allies, partners and friends.”
National Security Council meetsin Downing Street
Ministers have started arriving for the big National Security Council (NSC) meeting – with Boris Johnson expected to confirm his decision on Huawei’s role in the 5G network.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace was seen arriving at the security cabinet meeting with Major General Nick Carter – the chief of defence staff.
Starmer pledges ‘reset’ in relationship with Scottish Labour
Labour’s policy on independence must not be imposed on the party in Scotland, the frontrunner to succeed Jeremy Corbyn has said.
Sir Keir Starmer said it was time to “reset the relationship between UK Labour and Scottish Labour”.
Writing in the Daily Record newspaper, he said: “It’s self-evident Scotland’s relationship with the UK cannot rest on the status quo. There is deadlock when we need change.
“Labour must change, too. We have to reset the relationship between UK Labour and Scottish Labour. Our constitutional position will be made, not imposed. It's not for Scotland alone that change must come.”
He stressed: “I don’t want Scotland to leave the UK. I profoundly believe in solidarity across borders.”
Starmer also called for a federal solution and pledged to push for a UK-wide constitutional convention to be established.
Party bosses in London have previously been accused of treating Labour in Scotland like a “branch office”. While Scottish Labour has been opposed to a second referendum, Jeremy Corbyn caused a storm when he said in 2017 it would be “absolutely fine”.
More recently, both Corbyn and his shadow chancellor John McDonnell made clear they would not stand in the way of another ballot on independence – saying only it should not take place in the early years of a Labour government (had they won the election).
UK-US trade deal: the obstacles in the way
As the National Security Council (NSC) discusses Huawei’s role in the nation’s 5G infrastructure, our political editor Andrew Woodcock has taken a look at the range of issues putting Boris Johnson’s government at odds with the US – from healthcare to chicken dinners.
Almost 80 per cent of Tory members opposed to Huawei role in 5G
A survey by ConservativeHome website shows Tory supporters are not happy at the idea of Huawei getting a role in Britain’s 5G network.
More than 77 per cent said of party members surveyed by the influential blog said the government should not allow the Chinese tech giant build the infrastructure, while only 13 per cent said the government should allow it.
UK to resist EU demand for European Court of Justice to govern trade deal
Our Europe correspondent Jon Stone has more on the row over the EU’s desire for the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to have a say over UK trade with the bloc after Brexit.
It looks as if the UK will resist any demand for the ECJ to have a continued role and effectively give it continued power over the UK. Downing Street is said to regard the court as “by very definition not a neutral arbiter”.
All the details here:
UK to resist EU demand for European Court of Justice to govern Brexit trade deal
Brussels wants court to keep some power over UK under trade dealPM risks wrath of Trump by approving Huawei to help build 5G network
Boris Johnson has given the go-ahead for Huawei to help build the UK’s 5G network – but with restrictions.
“Ministers today determined that UK operators should put in place additional safeguards and exclude high risk vendors from parts of the telecoms network that acre critical to security.”
A Whitehall source denied the UK’s security was being put at risk, telling The Independent that Huawei would be banned from “critical” parts of 5G and from nuclear sites and military bases.
Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has all the details:
Boris Johnson risks wrath of Trump by approving Huawei to help build UK 5G network
The long-awaited decision has been made despite a last-gasp intervention by Washington, which warned vital intelligence-sharing with London will be thrown into jeopardyHuawei leading the 5G patent race
The US has been trying to persuade Boris Johnson’s government they could collaborate on building new 5G infrastructure. But Huawei remains a world leader on the technology.
The Chinese tech company has filed the most patents for 5G technology – more than Nokia, Samsung and Ericson.
Our friends at Statista have taken a look at the patent field.
Huawei will face ‘tight restrictions’ over 5G, says culture secretary
Culture secretary Baroness Morgan has claimed the government’s green light for Huawei decision will “not be at the expense of our national security”.
The culture secretary stated: “High risk vendors never have been and never will be in our most sensitive networks.
“The government has reviewed the supply chain for telecoms networks and concluded today it is necessary to have tight restrictions on the presence of high risk vendors.
“This is a UK-specific solution for UK-specific reasons and the decision deals with the challenges we face right now. It not only paves the way for secure and resilient networks, with our sovereignty over data protected, but it also builds on our strategy to develop a diversity of suppliers.
“We can now move forward and seize the huge opportunities of 21st-century technology.”
Ciaran Martin, the chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, added: “This package will ensure that the UK has a very strong, practical and technically sound framework for digital security in the years ahead.”
