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| May faces calls for inquiry over Huawei leak | May faces calls for inquiry over Huawei leak |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Labour has demanded “a full leak inquiry” into whoever was responsible for this week’s unauthorised disclosure from the national security council that the Chinese company Huawei will be allowed to supply 5G telecoms equipment in the UK. | |
| Asking an urgent question in the Commons, Jo Platt, the shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, said: “If a minister did leak this information they are not fit to serve in the cabinet and they are certainly not fit to be prime minister.” | |
| In the debate that followed, Jeremy Wright, the culture secretary, signalled that a criminal investigation under the Official Secrets Act could yet go ahead. He told MPs “I cannot rule it out”, and added it was “a matter for investigating and prosecuting authorities to consider”. | |
| Theresa May is under growing pressure to find and sack the minister, aide or official responsible for the leak from the national security council meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Several ministers have written to her to call for a criminal inquiry under the Official Secrets Act, although any decision to prosecute would have to be taken by Geoffrey Cox, the attorney general. | |
| The meetings of the body – which is composed of senior cabinet members and spy chiefs – are held in secret but news of the controversial Huawei decision leaked shortly afterwards to the Daily Telegraph. | |
| It was reported by the newspaper that Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, Sajid Javid, the home secretary, Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, Liam Fox, the trade secretary, and Penny Mordaunt, the international development secretary, raised concerns about allowing a Chinese firm some “non-core” access to the 5G networks. | |
| In the Commons, Platt said: “Critical issues of national security should be handled with utmost care, not used as political ammunition in a Tory Party civil war | |
| “A full leak inquiry should be undertaken, and if identified, the individual should immediately resign or be removed from their position.” | |
| The leak row comes after many months of revelations from May’s cabinet meetings, with discipline almost entirely broken down. However, MPs said the leak of a discussion on intelligence and national security was a different magnitude and seriousness. | |
| Tory MPs seek to overturn May's Huawei supply decision | Tory MPs seek to overturn May's Huawei supply decision |
| Nicholas Soames, a Conservative MP, said the leak was so serious that a “criminal inquiry” was needed and called for whoever was responsible to be sacked. | Nicholas Soames, a Conservative MP, said the leak was so serious that a “criminal inquiry” was needed and called for whoever was responsible to be sacked. |
| He was backed up by Ben Bradshaw, a Labour former cabinet minister, who said it “demands a criminal inquiry, not just an internal leak inquiry … The Tory party civil war is now threatening our national security.” | He was backed up by Ben Bradshaw, a Labour former cabinet minister, who said it “demands a criminal inquiry, not just an internal leak inquiry … The Tory party civil war is now threatening our national security.” |
| Johnny Mercer, a Tory MP and former British Army officer, added: “The leak from the national security council is extraordinary. A new and grim low.” | Johnny Mercer, a Tory MP and former British Army officer, added: “The leak from the national security council is extraordinary. A new and grim low.” |
| Any cabinet minister found to have been responsible would be in breach of the ministerial code and could be sacked. | |
| The US has largely banned Huawei from its 5G infrastructure. Rob Joyce, a senior adviser at the US National Security Agency, said the British move could hand Beijing a “loaded gun”. | |
| The Guardian view on Huawei: if May wants to trust, we must keep verifying | Editorial | The Guardian view on Huawei: if May wants to trust, we must keep verifying | Editorial |
| He told the Financial Times: “We have got to understand all the details of that and decide what that means. What we will be insistent on is UK decisions can’t put our information at risk but the good news is that the UK already understands that.” | He told the Financial Times: “We have got to understand all the details of that and decide what that means. What we will be insistent on is UK decisions can’t put our information at risk but the good news is that the UK already understands that.” |
| In contrast, GCHQ has repeatedly said Huawei needs to be closely monitored but has not called for a ban. The director, Jeremy Fleming, said concerns about its country of origin were not necessarily the top priority when security was being considered. | In contrast, GCHQ has repeatedly said Huawei needs to be closely monitored but has not called for a ban. The director, Jeremy Fleming, said concerns about its country of origin were not necessarily the top priority when security was being considered. |
| “We are looking at the risks that arise from their security and engineering processes, as well as the way these technologies are deployed in our national telecom networks,” Fleming said in a rare speech on Wednesday morning. “The flag of origin of 5G equipment is important but it is a secondary factor.” | “We are looking at the risks that arise from their security and engineering processes, as well as the way these technologies are deployed in our national telecom networks,” Fleming said in a rare speech on Wednesday morning. “The flag of origin of 5G equipment is important but it is a secondary factor.” |
| Huawei says it is independent of the Chinese government. It is owned by a trade union committee representing employees and has supplied equipment in the UK since the middle of the last decade. | Huawei says it is independent of the Chinese government. It is owned by a trade union committee representing employees and has supplied equipment in the UK since the middle of the last decade. |
| Huawei | Huawei |
| Theresa May | Theresa May |
| Mobile phones | Mobile phones |
| Internet | Internet |
| Telecoms | Telecoms |
| Conservative leadership | Conservative leadership |
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