When the former defence secretary Gavin Williamson was fired from his position on Wednesday, for allegedly leaking information related to Huawei, China hawks in the Cabinet lost a key ally in their fight against the company’s involvement in the UK 5G network.
The defence secretary was said to be one of five Cabinet ministers against Huawei’s bid, with Jeremy Hunt, Liam Fox, Sajid Javid and Penny Mordaunt also allegedly wary of the company’s closeness to the Chinese state, and the possibility it could use the network to spy on UK citizens.
But while they may have been disappointed to lose another voice in Cabinet against the Chinese telecoms behemoth, elsewhere in London it appears that champagne corks may have been popping at the defence secretary’s demise.
As the news broke at around 6pm on Wednesday, a friend of Mr Steerpike was passing by an office on 16 Old Queen Street (a few doors down from The Spectator) when he heard a loud and very distinctive cheer coming from the building as Williamson’s sacking was announced.
Britain’s best politics newsletters
You get two free articles each week when you sign up to The Spectator’s emails.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in