Chinese spying will be ‘fatal’ for Britain if Boris doesn’t ban Communist-backed Huawei from UK, ex-US security chief warns
CHINESE spying could be “fatal” to Britain if Boris doesn’t follow America in banning Huawei from making our internet network, an ex-US security chief has warned today.
Tom Ridge, the former US Secretary of Homeland Security, said today that the next PM should sit down with President Trump – and urged him to change tack urgently.
Ministers are considering whether to let the controversial Chinese firm help build core parts of the 5G mobile phone-network, but there are concerns that the country could use it to spy on Britain in future.
As part of a trip to London today Mr Ridge, the former Governor of Pennsylvania, warned: “To embed that capability in your critical infrastructure – in telecommunications – is potentially fatal.”
Mr Ridge, who went into the role after 9/11 working under President Bush, said today that Boris must act as soon as he gets into No10.
“It’s not too late,” he insisted. “There should be no final decision until you sit down with our President.
“I’ve watched Boris from afar – he’s pretty smart, pretty able. He’s a very interesting figure.
“I do think [Trump and Boris] get along beyond the personalities.”
“The new administration has the chance to revisit again without criticism, the assessment.”
Republican urged him to bring over his security advisers to discuss how to come to a common position as “that’s what friends and allies do”.
“This is a great opportunity for the new administration to do just that,” he added.
“We’ve been through so much historically, it would be foolish for us not to sit down as friends and allies, and challenge each other.”
Phone providers EE and Vodafone have already launched 5G in parts of the UK, but a decision on the core infrastructure hasn’t been made yet.
America and Australia have both said they won’t let the firm have any parts of their infrastructure network over security fears.
Gavin Williamson was sacked by Theresa May as defence secretary just two months ago after she claimed information had been linked to newspapers about Huawei security briefings – he denied the allegations.
On Huawei Mr Ridge, warned: “Huawei is not to be trusted. Huawei is not to be embedded in our communications system. That, there is no dispute [in the US].
“We said ‘hell no. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.’
And he said he had no idea how anyone could trust the Chinese firm – which has been closely linked with the Government.
Staff at the company are just government officials in Huawei t-shirts, he claimed.
And he was more worried about what the firm could do with the access to the data in future – not today.
“Who knows where this is going to take us?” headed.
Mr Ridge fought in the Vietnam War but claimed: “We are in digital war right now.
“It’s one thing for countries to spy on one another and do what countries are doing to protect and promote their self interests.
“But it’s another thing to allow a potential adversary to embed in a domestic piece of infrastructure the ability to glean even more information.”
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However, Mr Ridge played down suggestions that the controversial firm could block a trade deal between the UK and the US.
He suggested that the President’s broadside on Twitter at the US ambassador this week was not helpful and diplomacy should be done in person.
And he expressed “regret” that Sir Darroch felt he had to resign from his post and defended him as only doing his job – after his cabled were leaked last weekend.
Some of them described the President’s government as “inept”.
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