Government have been "extremely complacent" in Huawei saga, says Conservative MP

5 July 2020, 15:22

Bob Seely of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on Huawei deal

A member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee said that the UK has lacked a strategic approach in its relationship with Huawei.

Bob Seely is a Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight and is also a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. He has worked extensively on investigating the relationship between Huawei and the Chinese Communist Party and has said for some time the company's role in our 5G network is unethical.

After an announcement that the government will phase out the role of Huawei in the UK's 5G network, Maajid asked Mr Seely if this will be acted on quickly.

"I do think there are some important hurdles along the way that the government needs to clear" Mr Seely said, reminding Maajid that there is still a long process ahead of the government to remove Huawei's rights over the 5G network.

"What I would be looking for is an early date that the government says no more kit from a company that is part and parcel with the Chinese state" the Tory MP added.

As Huawei have been working on the UK's 5G network for some time now, Maajid asked Mr Seely "is it too late to pull back" from committing to the Chinese telecoms giant.

The member of The Foreign Affairs Select Committee told Maajid that in the UK, "we've lacked a strategic approach to many things in the past" including the Huawei deal.

He went on to say that "government and security services in the UK have been extremely complacent" in how they've conducted themselves with private companies and this should mark a point where government can learn for the future.

"It's a shame that we're being strongly encouraged to do the right thing by the Americans when we should be doing the right thing ourselves" he added, reiterating the missed opportunities of the British government.