Huawei boss: Britain won't say no to us over 5G roll out

Huawei’s founder and chief executive has said Britain “won’t say no to us” over the firm’s involvement in the rollout of 5G mobile internet infrastructure.

The security of the company’s 5G equipment and its alleged links to the Chinese government have attracted concern. Donald Trump has effectively banned it from trading with American firms.

But the UK is considering the inclusion of Huawei equipment in its infrastructure project despite the National Security Council in April striking an in-principle block against the firm accessing critical parts of national networks.

Huawei's Ren Zhengfei said that Britain had a "very important" decision to make about the rollout. He told Sky News: "I think they won't say no to us as long as they go through those rigorous tests and look at it in a serious manner and I think if they do say no, it won't be to us."

Last month, then culture secretary Jeremy Wright said the UK was still seeking clarity on the implications of US action against the Chinese firm, adding it would be "wrong to make specific decisions" before this had been achieved.

The White House said Mr Trump and Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed issues including "trade, 5G and global security" in their latest phone call earlier this month.

The debate over Huawei's future in the UK as a provider of 5G telecoms equipment has been a lingering issue, amid fears that it could enable the Chinese government to spy on people in the West - an allegation the firm has repeatedly denied.

In an indication of easing over Huawei, Three and Sky Mobile recently said they would offer the firm's 5G smartphone to customers as part of the rollout of their new 5G mobile networks, making them the first UK mobile operators to do so.

Last week, US national security adviser John Bolton said during a visit to the UK that fears over Huawei's involvement in Britain's 5G network could wait until after Brexit to be resolved.

He said representatives of Mr Johnson's government had expressed an appreciation for the White House's views on Huawei.

He added: "They said in particular that looking really from square one on the Huawei issue that they were very concerned about not having any compromise in the security of telecommunications in the 5G space."