US Reaction to UK's Huawei Decision "Hyperbole", No US, European 5G "Champion" to Step In - Hammond

by

The former senior official and veteran politician said that Britain would suffer "huge potential damage" if it did not remain a leader in 5G and that it would be difficult to see how the nation's 5G roll out programme would be possible "without using Huawei equipment".

Speaking to CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday evening, Philip Hammond, who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary in the May and Cameron administrations, respectively, defended UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to allow Huawei to build the nation's 5G networks.

Mr Hammond said that the Huawei decision showed that PM Johnson was "not towing the Washington line" to keep ties with US president Donald Trump and "perfectly prepared" to stand up to for British interests, but added that open dialogue could "never be a bad thing".

Speaking on whether the Prime Minister could "have it both ways" in terms of the government's Huawei decision, Mr Hammond said: "It's going to create tension, but some of this reaction is hyperbole.