Rebel platoon gives government a scare
Despite the best efforts of the government, today’s Budget will be the Coronavirus Budget. As much as Downing Street wants to refocus the conversation — even for a day — on its “levelling up” agenda, attention will inevitably fall on the chancellor’s economic antidote to the effects of the outbreak.
But it isn’t just ministers determined to acknowledge that there’s a world beyond this virus. Yesterday a group of high-profile Tory MPs reminded us of one of other key issues in play: Huawei’s role in the country’s 5G network.
Before the arrival of Covid-19, the Chinese tech giant’s involvement in our digital infrastructure flared up into a mighty transatlantic row, with Donald Trump said to be incandescent that we would allow the firm into our network.
US congressmen wrote furious letters to Number 10 and the President’s chief of staff paid a visit to express American concerns in person. Those concerns are shared by at least 38 Tory MPs including former cabinet ministers and grandees with experience of defence, security and intelligence.
After Boris Johnson’s thumping win in last year’s election, it was assumed his 80 seat majority would grant him immunity from trouble-making backbenchers, but although the government won the day the number of rebels is said to have taken whips by surprise. David Davis, a man who enjoys a bit of bravado, said the rebellion was just a taste of things to come.
He claimed it was “spontaneous” (a bit of a stretch) and that if they actually tried to orchestrate a government defeat they could do so. All of this means that ministers will have their work cut out ahead of the next big commons vote on Huawei in the summer.
The government cannot assume that it will win now that anti-Huawei MPs feel the wind is in their sails. In the wake of yesterday’s defeat, culture minister Matt Warman said the government had heard the rebels’ point “loud and clear” and pledged that “we will now engage intensively with colleagues across the House to make sure that we will make out case at every possible level”.
However, it will take more than restating their case to win back this new rebel alliance. David Davis, Iain Duncan Smith, Tom Tugendhat and others who voted against the government all have a military background — and they feel they’re on a mission.
Main image: Getty