• Today MPs voted on a bill that will allow Chinese firm Huawei to be part of the UK’s 5G phone network
• Luke Pollard has voted against the bill “to protect national security”
• The voted divided the South West’s Conservative MPs with MPs with Tory rebels aplenty across Devon and Cornwall

Luke Pollard, the MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, has today voted to keep Chinese tech giant Huawei out of the UK’s future 5G network over concerns over national security.

Many believe that Huawei poses a national security risk as it potentially allows the Chinese Government access to our critical national infrastructure via the new 5G network. The US Government has banned US companies from sharing technology with Huawei, and it has been putting pressure on other nations to follow suit.

Luke believes involving Huawei in the UK’s 5G network upgrade will be a threat to national security, and today voted against allowing them access to our new telecoms network. The key vote saw the largest Conservative majority of this Parliament with the motion defeated 306 to 282.

The South West’s Conservative MPs were divided on the vote with MPs voting both for and against allowing Huawei into our 5G network.

Luke Pollard MP said:

“We cannot allow any company that poses a threat to our national security to play any role in building such critical national infrastructure. Given the significant national security concerns I voted against allowing Huawei access to our new 5G network.

 

“Labour whipped its MPs to vote against Huawei’s involvement in the new 5G network. I was pleased to see so many of the region’s Conservative MPs were in the same voting lobby as me today putting the nation’s security ahead of party politics. Sadly, the Government majority was just too big and today’s defeat gives a green light for Huawei to build and run the UK’s telecoms network. Once they’re part of the new 5G network it seems very unlikely they’ll ever be fully removed and that is why today was a bad day for UK national security.”