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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Politics
Rebecca Speare-Cole

Huawei row: Senior Tories urge Boris Johnson to 'rule out' Chinese firm's 5G involvement amid US spat

Iain Duncan Smith arrives in Downing Street (Picture: Getty Images)

Senior Tories have reportedly written to Conservative MPs to raise concerns over Boris Johnson's decision to allow Huawei a role in the UK's 5G network.

The letter, from a group of Tories including Sir Iain Duncan Smith, David Davis, Damian Green and Bob Seely, said there were other options to the Chinese firm, according to the BBC.

The group said they want "high-risk" vendors to be ruled out now or phased out over time, adding that they working to find a better solution" to the 5G issue.

"We are seeking to identify a means by which we ensure that only trusted vendors are allowed as primary contractors into our critical national infrastructure," the letter states.

Huawei has been granted permission to be involved in the 5G network across the UK (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

"Trusted vendors would be companies from countries that have fair market competition, rule of law, respect human rights, data privacy and non-coercive government agencies."​

It comes after US president Mike Pence said the government's decision could threaten a post Brexit trade deal between the UK and America.

US Vice President Mike Pence has weighed into the Huawei row. (AFP via Getty Images)

His comments follow Donald Trump reportedly blasting Mr Johnson with "apoplectic" rage during a heated phone call regarding the 5G move.

Pressed on whether the Huawei decision could be a deal breaker in Brexit trade talks, Mr Pence told CNBC: "We'll see. We'll see if it is."

Boris Johnson defied repeated warnings from Donald Trump to rule that Huawei could play a role in the UK’s 5G network (REUTERS)

Referring to the UK move to allow Huawei limited participation in the 5G rollout, Mr Pence said: "We are profoundly disappointed because look, when I went at the president's direction in September I met with Prime Minister Johnson and I told him the moment the UK is out of Brexit we were willing to begin to negotiate a free trade arrangement with the UK.

"But we just don't believe that utilising the assets, the technology of Huawei is consistent with the security or privacy interests of the UK, of the United States and it remains a real issue between our two countries."

Boris Johnson’s decision to let Huawei help build the UK’s 5G network has been criticised by the US and Australia (AFP via Getty Images)

The US vice president added: "We're anxious to build our economic ties, but we have made it clear to Prime Minister Johnson and to officials in the UK, that as we expand opportunities to build out 5G across this country... we want to see our companies meet the needs in the United States and UK and among all our allies without the compromise of privacy and the compromise of security that necessarily comes with Huawei and control by the Chinese Communist Party."

The Prime Minister defied repeated lobbying from the US to rule that the Chinese firm could play a limited role in the infrastructure.

The States had warned the move would jeopardise intelligence sharing as it raised concerns over the telecommunications company's links to the Chinese state.

Citing officials in London and Washington, the Financial Times reported that the US president had been livid with the PM in a phone call after the decision was announced last week.

One person briefed on the contents of the call described the US president as being "apoplectic" with the PM, according to the newspaper.

Downing Street did not deny the report and pointed towards a No 10 version of events after the call, saying the PM had updated Mr Trump on the decision.

The move has been a particularly thorny one for Mr Johnson, with his Brexit plans relying heavily on striking an ambitious free trade deal with the US.

"The Prime Minister underlined the importance of like-minded countries working together to diversify the market and break the dominance of a small number of companies," the statement added.

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