Chinese phone manufacturer Huawei will be allowed to help build the UK's 5G network, despite concerns and warning over security risks surrounding its technology.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Huawei will be free to help build "non-core" elements of the network, and it is being reported that Prime Minister Theresa May has given the go-ahead, overruling the recommendations of ministers and experts.
Earlier this month, one of GCHQ's top officials accused Huawei of "shoddy engineering".
Although it has not yet been officially announced, Huawei said it was "pleased that the UK is continuing to take an evidence-based approach to its work, and we will continue to work cooperatively with the government, and the industry".
The company has consistently denied allegations of links with the Chinese government, or that failures in its technology risks espionage.
Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat said: "There's a reason others have said no." He added that the move would "cause allies to doubt our ability to keep data secure and erode the trust essential to FiveEyes cooperation".
The US has urged the rest of the Five Eyes group - UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada - to follow its lead in banning and condemning Huawei.
Mr Tugendhat warned that while it is understood Huawei will only be allowed to work on "non-core" elements, it is difficult to distinguish between core and non-core elements. Speaking to the BBC, he said that 5G is an "internet system that can genuinely connect everything, and therefore the distinction between non-core and core is much harder to make".
