America launches last-ditch bid to halt Huawei deal

America has launched a last-ditch attempt to stop Boris Johnson giving the green light for Huawei to help build Britain’s 5G network.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who will fly here this week, said the UK faced a ‘momentous decision’.

Piling on the pressure, he warned that Tory MP Tom Tugendhat was right to say that ‘only nations able to protect their data will be sovereign’.

Sources said the US believes a decision to work with the Chinese telecoms giant was a ‘done deal’ because Mr Johnson does not want to be called Donald Trump’s ‘poodle’.

They said that, on the basis of a phone call between the pair on Friday, the US believed Mr Johnson would probably give the go-ahead.

But Mr Pompeo’s warning, in a tweet last night, referenced an article by Mr Tugendhat in the Mail on Sunday, which warned: ‘The real costs will come later if we get this wrong and allow Huawei to run 5G.’ 

Piling on the pressure, he warned that Tory MP Tom Tugendhat (pictured above) was right to say that ‘only nations able to protect their data will be sovereign’

Mr Tugendhat also wrote: ‘Huawei’s 5G sets us on a path that undermines our autonomy and the repercussions could be grave.’

There is still resistance from within the Cabinet, with Home Secretary Priti Patel and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on the ‘war path’ over Huawei.

Mr Wallace is said to have told colleagues he believes the Chinese firm presents a security risk by being involved in the country’s new telecoms network.

Miss Patel was asked on Sky News if she was among those opposing approval of Huawei’s bid. 

She said this was ‘not accurate’ and repeatedly emphasised she would protect national security.

Security chiefs say risks can be mitigated by only giving Huawei access to the non-core elements of the 5G network, such as antennas. 

‘Sensitive locations’ including military sites such as the Royal Navy submarine base at Faslane in Scotland would be banned from using Huawei.

Mr Pompeo’s warning, in a tweet last night, referenced an article by Mr Tugendhat in the Mail on Sunday, which warned: ‘The real costs will come later if we get this wrong and allow Huawei to run 5G’

The US has engaged in intense lobbying efforts, with Mr Trump telling the Mr Johnson that approving the deal would threaten national security.

The President is thought to have suggested Britain and the US could create an alternative to Huawei together.

And in an unprecedented move, three senior US administration officials said it would be ‘madness’ if Mr Johnson approved the plan, sparking fury at No 10. 

Whitehall officials believe there is no alternative to Chinese technology, saying other options could take years and add to consumer bills.

The Huawei row threatens to overshadow Friday’s Brexit celebrations. 

The two countries have also clashed over the UK’s planned digital services tax – with Steven Mnuchin, the US treasury secretary, insisting Mr Trump would not back down in opposing this.

Australia, a member of the Five Eyes international security alliance, has said it will join the US and not include Huawei kit in its 5G infrastructure. Canada and New Zealand are undecided.

Germany has also yet to commit but Chancellor Angela Merkel has said diversification was crucial to ensuring a country’s security. 

Without naming Huawei, she said of the 5G problem that shunning one supplier altogether risks being counterproductive.

Sources said the US believes a decision to work with the Chinese telecoms giant was a ‘done deal’ because Mr Johnson does not want to be called Donald Trump’s ‘poodle’. They said that, on the basis of a phone call between the pair on Friday, the US believed Mr Johnson would probably give the go-ahead