Theresa May was accused of risking links with the US last night with a decision to let a Chinese firm help build a 5G mobile network.

The Prime Minister has reportedly approved Huawei's involvement despite Cabinet ministers raising serious objections over security risks.

Although it will relate only to 'non-core' equipment such as antennas, Tory MPs said the deal could harm the 'special relationship' and intelligence-sharing with Washington.

It emerged last night that US officials are considering a late attempt to change the Mrs May's mind.

A source said: 'We have our concerns and we continue to engage with UK government on the issue.'

Theresa May shaking hands with President Xi Jinping at the G20 in Hangzhou, China, in 2016

Senior figures in the US administration have already warned London that co-operation with Huawei risked putting trans-Atlantic security co-operation in jeopardy.

Huawei hit back yesterday, accusing US officials of trying to protect the business interests of their own tech giants.

Jerry Wang, who heads the firm's British division, said the campaign to freeze it out of the next generation of mobile phone networks was designed to shield US companies from their competitors.

The Huawei row erupted following an unprecedented leak yesterday from a top-secret meeting of the National Security Council. Mrs May was said to have approved Huawei's 5G involvement at the meeting on Tuesday.

It is claimed that Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson were among those to raise concerns.

As British security sources played down the risks from Huawei:

Conservative MPs said Mrs May's decision was 'naive in the extreme';

Sir Julian King, the EU commissioner for security, backed Mrs May, saying blanket bans of equipment and suppliers should not be the 'starting point';

US ambassador Woody Johnson said his country was sceptical about Huawei and its technology;

There were calls for a criminal inquiry into how information about Mrs May's plans was leaked.

Huawei said pressure from the US was designed to shield America companies from Chinese competitors

Government sources said details of the decision were probably leaked by a minister – a move that under normal circumstances would see them fired.

The PM's decision was taken despite pressure from Washington. It is feared that the Chinese government could require Huawei to install technological 'back doors' in the new 5G network to enable it to spy on or disable Britain's communications network.

Julian Lewis, chairman of the Commons defence committee, said: 'The idea that an enterprise of that magnitude is anything other than inextricably connected to a communist Chinese government and its hostile intelligence services is naïve.

'It is absolutely bizarre we should entertain for one moment allowing an organisation that is part and parcel of a hostile regime to have access in any significant way to our communications infrastructure.

'Our Five Eyes intelligence partners will be aghast at the suggestion and if we proceed in this irresponsible way it can only sow distrust between us and our most important and reliable intelligence partners.'

Bob Seely MP called it 'a cyber Trojan horse'

Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee, said the decision was unwise, adding: 'Allowing Huawei into our 5G infrastructure would cause allies to doubt our ability to keep data secure and erode the trust essential to Five Eyes cooperation. There's a reason others have said 'no'.'

Damian Collins, of the digital, Culture, media and sport committee, said: 'I don't believe they should be receiving Government contracts to build infrastructure of any sort until we are convinced that there are no data security concerns.'

Tory MP Bob Seely said Mrs May's decision was extremely poor, adding: 'It poses a threat to our UK security, it hurts the ability to develop a robust global Britain foreign policy and may undermine our security alliances with our closest partners. It is a cyber Trojan Horse.'

Ambassador Johnson said both Washington and London were looking at the technology and Huawei 'with some scepticism'. He added: 'We want to figure whether you can have this technology and accommodate all of the risks that will be part of it.'

Anger as Minister leaks details Britain’s intelligence agencies were last night furious after a minister was believed to have leaked top-secret information about Theresa May’s Huawei decision. The Prime Minister chaired a top-secret National Security Council meeting on Tuesday with members of her Cabinet. They discussed classified information surrounding the decision on whether to give the go-ahead for the Chinese tech giant to help Britain’s new 5G network. But the details of the meeting were leaked shortly afterwards. A Government source said it had to be a minister and the intelligence community was furious. A source said: ‘Politics is getting in the way of national security. This is the first time it’s happened, it’s unprecedented. This would usually get you fired.’ The source added: ‘It has damaged the trust between civil servants and ministers.’ Tory MP Nicholas Soames told the BBC there should be a criminal inquiry into how details of the meeting were leaked, saying it would ‘cause our friends and allies to wonder if we can be considered reliable’. He added: ‘Whoever is responsible should be dismissed from the Queen’s service.’ Advertisement

Tom Bossert, a former US homeland security adviser, said Mrs May appeared to be ignoring advisers.

'I'm not sure what the Prime Minister was thinking but it seems to be against the advice of some of her security professionals,' he told the BBC.

'I think it is a little overly rosy and optimistic to suspect that risks can be mitigated in new 5G infrastructure. Some have concerns that Huawei represents a future espionage risk, that there will be theft of information and some believe a future sabotage risk.'

A senior official from the US National Security Agency said the UK and US were 'united' in believing that sensitive networks could not be reliant on technology from states such as China.

Rob Joyce told a cyber-security conference in Glasgow with all nations from the Five Eyes alliance: 'The one thing we are very united on is there is a threat here. There are nations that do intend to come at our critical infrastructure and pose a threat.

'We are not going to use technologies that pose a threat in those most sensitive networks.' But in a letter to The Times, Huawei's Mr Wang said figures in the US wanted to discredit Huawei for commercial reasons.

'Their accusations are a smokescreen for an attack on our recognised technological innovation,' he said. 'They are not based on security concerns, but a barely concealed protectionist trade agenda.'

Digital minister Margot James dismissed reports that the Prime Minister had given the go-ahead.

She told Sky News that a final decision had not been made, although she did indicate that a security review had concluded.

A Downing Street spokesman said last night: 'We don't comment on NSC discussions.'

Q&A: Huawei, 5G, and Five Eyes By Larissa Brown What is the issue? Theresa May appears to have given the green light to Huawei of China to help build a 5G mobile network. The National Security Council, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, agreed on Tuesday to grant the firm access to build ‘non-core’ infrastructure such as antennas. This is supposed to minimise security risks because Huawei would not supply ‘core’ equipment. What is 5G technology? Fifth-generation mobile broadband would offer download and browsing speeds up to 20 times faster than current 4G networks. Huawei leads the field in 5G infrastructure and in pricing and the UK does not want to miss out. What could go wrong? If Huawei controls the technology that sits at the heart of vital communications networks then in theory it has the capacity to conduct espionage or disrupt communications. This is a worry because the telecoms giant has close ties to the Chinese state. Beijing has a history of censorship and surveillance and compels firms to ‘support, co-operate with and collaborate in national intelligence work’. Washington has repeatedly accused China of cyber-attacks on various targets such as the US Navy. CIA intelligence claims Huawei has taken money from the People’s Liberation Army, China’s National Security Commission and another branch of the Chinese state intelligence network. In January, a Huawei employee working on 5G services was arrested in Poland on suspicion of spying, along with a Polish intelligence officer. Huawei later sacked the employee, named as Wang Weijing, saying he had acted on his own and brought the firm into disrepute. Is intelligence-sharing with other countries at risk? The UK is a member of the world’s leading intelligence-sharing network – the Five Eyes alliance – along with the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Crucially, Washington has told allies not to use Huawei’s technology because of fears it could be a vehicle for Chinese spy operations. New Zealand has barred one of its mobile networks from using Huawei’s 5G equipment while it continues to evaluate the risks involved. Canada is still on the fence. Britain’s compromise could provide a template for other Western nations to follow as they try to navigate the row between Beijing and Washington. This month Germany said it would not exclude Huawei from the auction to build its 5G network. Could it jeopardise security ties with the US? Washington has warned of potential repercussions. US officials say they do not believe there is a distinction between ‘core’ and ‘non-core’ elements of a 5G network – and all components present a potential risk. Robert Strayer, a State Department ambassador and top cyber-security official, told the BBC: ‘It would be very difficult for the US to share information the way we have in the past if we are having to rely on unsecure networks. 'As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said – if the risk exceeds the threshold for the United States, we simply won’t be able to share that information.’ If this threat is acted on, it would be a huge blow for Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with the US, but such a claim has been met with scepticism. Some experts are not convinced that Washington would really stop sharing intelligence with such a trusted partner. British intelligence agents say Huawei technology would not be in any sensitive networks so there would be no impact on the way they share information with their American counterparts. Advertisement