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Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has urged China to “step back from the brink” as he updated MPs in the Commons on the Hong Kong protests. This comes as seven former foreign secretaries wrote to Boris Johnson suggesting he form a global alliance to coordinate a response to the China-Hong Kong crisis. LBC host Nigel Farage spoke to Tory MP Tobias Ellwood about why the UK needs to “think again” about the relationship with the authoritarian state.

Recently China passed a new security law, which many see as effectively ending Hong Kong’s independence.

Hong Kong, an ex-British colony, has maintained its autonomy from the authoritarian state since 1997, when it was handed back to China.

Mr Farage asked: “I know there was a meeting today of the National Security Council with Boris Johnson.

“Boris Johnson whose instincts and entourage in many ways have been quite pro-China. Is he listening to what you’ve got to say on this issue?”

Mr Ellwood told him: “With Huawei, there is a huge concern over whether our telecoms infrastructure will be secure or not.

“We’ve said that we’re going to wean ourselves of this in the next couple of years.

“It’s tougher for Britain because Huawei and these other Chinese companies have been embedded with us for the last ten years or so.

“When you buy a cappuccino and use your credit card that involves two or three satellites.”

He continued: “That involves a whole digital capability, which, if interfered with, could actually bring our financial world and ability to communicate and do business temporarily down.

“That is the new character of conflict.

“It won’t be challenges from the conventional sense, from a military sense.”

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The MP added: “It will be interfering in our ever reliant capability to move digital and data around the world and nationally as well.

“That is the way the character of conflict is going and why it’s so important, given that Huawei is obliged to share it’s data with the Chinese intelligence authorities, that we need to think again.

“We need to work with our allies to create a different construct.”

According to the Sunday Times, Number 10 is now reviewing the UK’s “dependence” on China and the agreement to bring Huawei into the 5G network.

President Donald Trump has proposed withdrawing the special trading status that Hong Kong has with the United States, which would put significant economic pressure on them.

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