An MP has said Britain is involved in a cyber war with China and blasted plans to allow telecoms giant Huawei to play a role in the UK’s 5G network.

Iain Duncan Smith, Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, yesterday in parliament questioned “utterly bizarre” plans to allow state-owned Huawei to be involved in the development of a new 5G network.

He said: "Given the fact that we are at war, in a sense - there is a cyber war going on, in which China is arguable the single biggest participant - that we should think about giving a company which is heavily subsidised by China, a country that has set out to steal data non-stop, and also technology, that we think of giving to them that right to be in what is essentially a very, very delicate area of our technology, the idea that we would do that seems to me utterly bizarre.

“I was led to believe that this government would not make that decision. I hope that they will now reject Huawei immediately."

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

Iain Duncan Smith blasted proposals to involve Chinese telecoms giant Huawei in rolling out a 5g network.

Boris Johnson, following a meeting national security council (NSC) today (January 28), announced Huawei before will play a 'limited roll' in rolling out 5G infrastructure across the country – one of the Prime Minister’s key election pledges. 


The Chinese firm will be banned from supplying kit to sensitive parts of the network, known as the core.


The company will also be kept from working on areas near military bases and nuclear sites.


The implementation of 5G is expected to bring with it download speeds 10 times faster than what 4G currently offers.


The USA and Australia have already banned Huawei from their national 5G networks amid concerns of ‘trojan horse’ software. 


A last minute plea from the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, for the Government to reject Huawei outright fell on deaf ears.   


Mr Pompeo, who is due to visit Britain later in the week, said: "The UK has a momentous decision ahead on 5G."


He retweeted a comment by Mr Tugendhat, in which the MP said: "The real costs will come later if we get this wrong and allow Huawei to run 5G."


Mr Pompeo added: "British MP Tom Tugendhat gets it right: 'The truth is that only nations able to protect their data will be sovereign'."


The US administration has previously urged allies in the Five Eyes intelligence community - made up of the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - not to use Huawei, claiming it would be a security risk - something the company vehemently denies.