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Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary, is expected to announce the plans to strip Huawei of its role in the UK’s 5G today. The final decision is due to be made in a meeting with the National Security Council before the announcement.

Huawei executives held last minute talks with officials from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) yesterday.

A Whitehall source told the Daily Mail the ban would go ahead.

The source said: “It’s fair to say Huawei won’t be very happy with the result.”

BT have warned it will be “impossible” to remove all the tech giant’s kit in under 10 years.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, BT’s chief executive Philip Jansen said: “If you wanted to have no Huawei in the whole of the telecoms infrastructure across the whole of the UK, I think that’s impossible to do under 10 years.”

Mr Jansen also warned “outages would be possible” if BT is forced to pull out Huawei’s 5G kit too quickly.

He said it would still need to install Huawei software for some time to come.

He added: “Over the next five years, we’d expect 15 to 20 big software upgrades.

“If you don’t have those software upgrades, you’re running gaps in critical software that could have security implications.”

Former MI6 chief, Sir Richard Dearlove, warned Beijing could order retaliatory cyber-attacks against the UK.

He said: “It’s a threat and I think we’ve known quite significantly that the Chinese have developed this capability and are prepared to use it.”

This comes as US President Donald Trump has placed sanctions on the Chinese firm to disrupt their ability to make their own microchips.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair the meeting with the National Security Council on Tuesday.

Mr Dowden is expected to announce the details to Parliament of the final decision shortly after the meeting.

The meeting will also consider a report from the NCSC on the impact of the US sanctions on Huawei’s ability to supply the 5G network.

A Whitehouse source told the Daily Mail the sanctions have had a “severe” effect on the Chinese firm.

The source added: “There is no way that we can now say their equipment is safe.”

Huawei has denied that its equipment represents a security risk and insists it is not controlled by the Chinese state.

Bob Seely, a Conservative MP, co-ordinates the Huawei Interest Group which has previously pressed ministers to impose a ban on the tech giant.

Mr Seely said it is critical the Chinese firm is banned from installing new kit by the end of this year.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland told the BBC: “We want to race ahead and have the best form of internet connectivity.

“But, at the same time, national security comes first and I know the NSC and the whole of government will be placing a huge priority on our national security.”

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