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UK cabinet ministers given ‘ultimatum’ to confirm or deny responsibility for Huawei leak
- Phone and email records could be examined and people questioned if it develops further and even lead to a minister or aide being fired
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UK cabinet members who were at Tuesday’s National Security Council (NSC) have been sent an ultimatum by Whitehall’s most powerful official to confirm whether they leaked a decision to allow Chinese telecoms firm Huawei to help build Britain’s 5G phone network.
Cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill is said to have written to those present and demanded they tell him immediately whether they were involved, prompting the five prime suspects to scramble to deny they were behind the leak.
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The inquiry came at a sensitive time with several of those present hoping to take over as prime minister when Theresa May steps down and comes amid growing calls for whoever did leak the information to The Daily Telegraph to be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act.
The NSC meeting decided to allow Huawei to supply some “non core” telecoms equipment for next-generation phone networks in the UK and the initial focus over the leak has focused on the five ministers present who were opposed to Huawei’s involvement.
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Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, was the first to go public on Thursday in denying he was behind the leak. He said it was “utterly appalling” and denied he or any of his staff were involved.
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