Lord Maginnis: The removal of Huawei from the UK telecoms market is happening too slowly

The government decision to remove the Chinese telecoms giant, Huawei, from the market by 2027 should be put in the fast lane.
By Ken Maginnis
Published 17th Jul 2020, 06:00 BST
Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

I have consistently opposed Huawei taking a major slice of the UK telecoms market on the basis that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) poses a national security threat both to our defence and to our commercial interests

The action by the government is belated but merely stipulating that Huawei must remove 5G kit by 2027 is far too slow.

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We must act with more urgency and not continue to allow our network to be infiltrated by any element of the CCP. Our 5G interests need to be secured.

If the government is serious about removing Huawei from the UK market, it should commit to a date before the next general election in 2024. Respected voices in Westminster have said as much and I agree with them.

Other aspects of the government announcement give me some comfort such as the ban on telecom companies purchasing new Huawei 5G after 31 December. I

appreciate the industry’s standpoint on the technical challenges, but with proper government support, the UK can expedite our home-grown ability.

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I have to say that allowing Huawei to maintain a presence for the next seven years is an unacceptable risk to both defence and commercial security.

Lord Maginnis, Westminster

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