US sanctions will hit Huawei, UK decision not set in stone, British minister says

US sanctions designed to restrict the ability of China’s Huawei to source advanced microchips for 5G equipment is likely to have a significant impact on the reliability of the supplier, Britain’s culture minister said on Monday.

Britain granted Huawei a limited role in its future 5G networks in January but officials at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have since studied the impact of the US measures that were announced in May.

Oliver Dowden told Sky News he would not comment on reports that officials are drawing up proposals to stop installing Huawei equipment but said the UK decision was not “not fixed in stone”.

“If the U.S impose sanctions which they have done, we believe that could have a significant impact on the reliability of Huawei equipment and whether we can use it safely,” he said.