https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/05/02/mike-pompeo-warn-theresa-may-against-giving-huawei-5g-access/
2 MAY 2019
"US secretary of state Mike Pompeo to warn Theresa May over Huawei as leak scandal turns to farce"
• Mike Pompeo, the former head of the CIA, will make clear that giving Huawei access could throw USUK
technology partnerships into doubt
Donald Trump’s secretary of state will warn Theresa May
against granting Huawei access to Britain’s 5G networks, as
she faced a growing backlash over her decision to sack Gavin
Williamson.
Mike Pompeo will say in a face-to-face meeting next Wednesday that the Chinese technology company poses a risk to British citizens and could breach privacy protections when he meets the Prime Minister and Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, in London.
The former head of the CIA will make clear that giving Huawei access
could throw US-UK technology partnerships into doubt, according to a senior US State Department official, who said spelling out the risks was "imperative".
The Pentagon has also vowed to continue raising its concerns in the
wake of Mr Williamson’s firing - another sign of how seriously the
Trump administration takes the issue of Huawei’s access to 5G
infrastructure.
On Thursday Mrs May’s decision to sack Mr Williamson after accusing him of leaking information about Huawei was heavily criticised after Downing Street admitted no crime had been committed as the discussions were not classified as sensitive and so there had been no breach of the Official Secrets Act.
Sources close to Mr Williamson - who vehemently denies being the
source of the leak - accused Sir Mark Sedwill, the Cabinet Secretary, of presiding over a “slipshod” and “rushed” investigation that did not follow correct procedure.
They claimed that the only evidence produced against Mr Williamson was the fact that he had spoken to a Daily Telegraph journalist and that he had failed to sign a form promising his full cooperation with the inquiry, even though he had provided access to his phone and emails during a 90-minute interview with the Government’s head of security.
Mr Williamson was trying to get away from the storm surrounding him by spending time with his family on Thursday. He posted a photograph on the social media site Instagram of himself with two dogs, with the caption: "When you have had a pretty tough week it's rather nice to get out and about with some really god company #dogsofinstagram #dogs."
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, suggested the pursuit of Mr
Williamson had been entirely politically driven, as other recent leaks - including a “hysterical” report on the effects of a no deal Brexit written by Sir Mark himself - had not been investigated at all.
Others pointed out that recent Government leaks that could have
endangered lives, including the whereabouts of Home Secretary Sajid Javid during a holiday in Africa, which could have compromised his safety, and highly sensitive information about “jihadi bride” Shamima Begum making suicide vests, were treated as being far less important.
Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, defended the Telegraph’s right to report the National Security Council leak on Huawei, while security experts and MPs said the leak inquiry had been a “smokescreen” to divert attention away from the core issue of Mrs May’s judgement.
Mrs May’s decision to give Huawei limited access to the country’s 5G networks, first revealed by The Daily Telegraph last week, has put renewed strain on the UK-US relationship.
The Trump administration has been lobbying European allies against allowing Huawei into its networks, fearing that the Chinese
government has significant control over the company - something
Huawei has rebutted.
Mr Pompeo will visit Britain as part of a wider European tour next
week. As well as meeting Mrs May and Mr Hunt he will deliver a
speech on the state of UK-US "special relationship".
Asked about his message to Britain and Germany on Huawei, a senior State Department made clear that Mr Pompeo would outline the Trump administration’s deep concerns.
“What we want to do with friends, allies, partners on this issue is share with them the things we know about the risks that the presence of Huawei and their networks present,” the official said.
“We see that as imperative, the risk to their own people, to the loss of privacy protections, the risk that China will use the data in a way that’s not in the best interests of their country. And we have an obligation to share that information with them, and we’ll do that and continue that discussion.”