A Member of Parliament told the UK government that a ban on the use of equipment from the Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer Huawei has "no technical grounds."
The sentiment was expressed by Norman Lamb in a letter that was sent to the secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, Jeremy Wright.
In the letter, Lamb reasoned that a complete ban on Huawei's equipment for the country's 5G network would not be a "proportionate response" to the security threat that the company allegedly poses. Aside from being a Member of Parliament, Lamb also chairs the country's Science and Technology Committee.
Lambs conclusion comes after a string of interviews the committee held with security officials, telecommunication executives, and stakeholders regarding Huawei's supposed threat.
Lamb mentioned in his letter that the banning of Huawei from the country would drastically result in the reduction of market competition. This would, in turn, result in a possible reduction in standards and quality as carriers would have fewer options when it came to selecting appropriate equipment vendors.
Despite his apparent recommendations not to boycott the Chinese firm, Lamb did acknowledge that there could be some "geopolitical grounds" for the move. Major United States allies, such as Australia and New Zealand, have recently announced that they would be following the US' recommendations to ban the use of Huawei's equipment in their respective 5G network infrastructures.
Lamb stated that the UK would have to take into consideration the possible geopolitical repercussions if it does not follow in the footsteps of its major allies.
US President Donald Trump recently placed added pressure on the UK over the weekend. The Trump administration warned that the UK's failure to ban Huawei would likely jeopardize the country's chances of closing a trade deal after it leaves the European Union. According to local reports, the UK's refusal to ban Huawei will be been seen by the US as a clear undermining of its efforts to reinvigorate the World Trade Organization.
The UK government has continued to delay its decision to impose a similar trade ban against Huawei given the recent turn of events. The US recently announced that it would be easing its restrictions against Huawei with the granting of licenses to US companies for them to continue doing business with the Chinese firm. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced last week that they would be allowing certain transactions to proceed if they pose no national security threats.
A decision regarding the UK's ban was supposed to be reached following a telecommunications supply chain review. However, the publication of the review has now been indefinitely delayed but is expected to continue once UK Prime Minister Theresa May is officially replaced.
