Trump on UKs Huawei ban: I did this myself

U.S. President Donald Trump said that he was responsible for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision to ban Huawei from Britain’s 5G network from the end of 2027.

On Tuesday, Johnson ordered Huawei equipment to be purged completely from Britain’s 5G network by the end of 2027, risking the ire of China by signaling that the world’s biggest telecoms equipment maker is not welcome in the West.

“We convinced many countries, many countries, I did this myself for the most part, not to use Huawei, because we think it is an unsafe security risk, it’s a big security risk,” Trump said, before referring to the UK ban.

Operators will not be able to purchase 5G components from Huawei from the end of this year and were told to remove all existing Huawei gear made by the Chinese telecoms behemoth from the 5G network by 2027.

“The NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) has now reported to ministers, that they have significantly changed their security assessment of Huawei’s presence in the UK’s 5g network,” Dowden told the House of Commons after Johnson chaired a meeting of Britain’s National Security Council (NSC).

The decision is a huge blow for Huawei, which has operated in Britain for 20 years. Europe is a key market for the company, accounting for 24% of sales last year. Huawei on Monday announced half year results earlier than usual, reporting slower revenue growth.

The company is already experiencing a decline in smartphone sales, after Washington blocked it from accessing popular Google apps. The phones became a lot less attractive in markets outside of China as a result.