US says using Huawei in UK 5G network would be ‘madness’

Ministers told allowing Chinese firm access would risk intelligence sharing

wd-huawei_-_lluis_geneafpgetty_images.jpg
(Image credit: Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty Images)

The US has warned Britain that using Huawei technology in the UK’s 5G networks would be “nothing short of madness”.

In an ultimatum described as “extraordinary” by The Guardian, senior US officials also told British ministers that allowing the Chinese firm access to the nation’s telecom network would put transatlantic intelligence sharing at risk.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up