Boris Johnson’s new National Security Adviser is expected to take a tougher line on China and the role of Huawei in Britain’s 5G infrastructure, defence sources have said. David Frost, the UK’s current Brexit Sherpa, was described by one source as “a real hawk” on foreign policy, and could take a “much tougher” line than his predecessor Sir Mark Sedwill. The Daily Telegraph understands that Mr Frost is expected to take a different position on Huawei to Sir Mark and that the outgoing Cabinet Secretary reportedly advocated in favour of keeping the Huawei deal. The Prime Minister has continued to face a US backlash for approving the Chinese telecoms giant to construct part of the UK’s 5G wireless network. A review by the National Cyber Security Centre of Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s 5G network in the wake of the sanctions has since been launched. Tobias Ellwood, Chairman of the Defence Select Committee, added that with the “changing landscape” he anticipated “No 10 will be tasking the new National Security Advisor to prioritise a review of our relationship with an increasingly assertive China which is clearly not maturing into the global citizen the world had once hoped”. “Instead Beijing is deliberately shunning international accountability and any desire to follow global rules. It will be for Mr Frost to establish what role Britain might play in re-invigorating Western resolve to challenge China’s competing geo-political ideology.”
