Why Boris u-turned on Huawei

The government has today u-turned on allowing Huawei a role in the building of the UK’s 5G network. From the end of this year, mobile providers will be banned from buying Huawei kit and it’ll have to be removed altogether from their 5G networks by 2027.

The UK government’s line is that this change in position is a result of the new US sanctions on the company. But it is also part of the government’s broader strategy of trying to get the UK off the trajectory of ever-increasing dependence on China. Beijing’s actions in Hong Kong have illustrated the true nature of the regime while its attempts to bully Australia have highlighted how it is prepared to use economic links to punish countries that step out of line.

Another – and, perhaps, the most important – reason for the u-turn is that the government would have been defeated in the Commons if it had continued on its previous course.