US ambassador Woody Johnson

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The billionaire ambassador had attended No 10 with a US delegation on Monday, as tensions between both countries rise over the security risks of the state-run Chinese firm. That delegation, led by US National Security Adviser Matt Pottinger, delivered a detailed dossier outlining why even limiting Huawei to “non-core” systems would, contrary to British Intelligence claims, present a “real and present danger” to UK national security.

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“Things did not go well,” said a source. “The Ambassador became involved in what we could refer to as a pretty heated exchange. He was emphatic in trying to get the US’s real concern across.” The National Security Council is due to meet in London this week to discuss the issue again before the final, and delayed, decision is made at the end of the month. Last night one former government adviser on 5G said: “It is a fallacy to say you can differentiate between the core and the edge of the system. It is all connected.” Number 10 is impatient to establish the 5G network. Ditching Huawei would delay the roll out and affect Britain’s economy and jeopardise a pledge to deliver fast broadband by 2027.

The ambassador had attended No 10 on Monday