Responding to reports that the UK’s mobile providers will be banned from buying new Huawei 5G equipment after 31 December 2020 and they must remove all Huawei 5G equipment from their networks by 2027, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Daisy Cooper said: “Liberal Democrats welcome this screeching u-turn from the Conservative Government. It is the right thing to do on grounds of national security and human rights and for our industrial strategy, but it’s disappointing it took US action to make the Government to do the right thing.
“The Government should now invest in developing this kind of technology here in the UK. Ministers must also prioritise maintaining strong partnerships with our European allies and Five Eyes to ensure any security risks are dealt with swiftly.
“Brexit must not be an excuse to ignore human rights concerns when making trade deals, signing public contracts and deciding who gets to run critical infrastructure. Liberal Democrats will continue the campaign to stand up for people’s human rights, security and right to privacy, no matter where in the world they live.”