EU urge Boris Johnson to call Donald Trump’s bluff to withdraw intelligence if Huawei build Britain’s 5G network

THE EU has urged Boris Johnson to call Donald Trump’s bluff over Huawei in a boost to the PM’s stand off with the White House.

The PM is on the verge of defying the US president’s demands to allow the Chinese telecoms giants limited access to the new 5G network with non-core elements, such as aerials.

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Europe’s Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan dubbed the US president’s threat to withdraw intelligence sharing if the move goes ahead as “a bit of sabre rattling”.

Mr Hogan added: “I don’t think that will happen at the end of the day. You can call their bluff on that one.”

“We can’t say to Huawei you can’t come into the European Union. If they implement the rules of the game, all competition is welcome.”

But the EU chief tore in to the PM’s hopes of getting a full trade deal with the EU in place by the end of the year, dubbing it “just not possible”.

Mr Hogan insisted: “Certainly by the end of the year we are not going to get everything that’s in the 36-page document on the future relationship agreed, because Prime Minister Johnson decided we are going to have everything concluded by the end of the year.”

Calling on Mr Johnson to change his mind and agree to extend the transition period for longer talks, he added: “I think we’ve seen that putting ourselves into timelines in the last few years have not been that helpful, especially in the way it played out in the House of Commons”.

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The skirmish came as German leader Angela Merkel warned Brussels that Brexit is “a wake up call” for the EU.

The German Chancellor said she was worried the UK could pose a serious economic threat to the EU, and the bloc has to lift its game to stay relevant.Other European countries such as Germany have already given the green light to limited Huawei involvement in their 5G networks, arguing the security risk is manageable.

But Australia has refused to allow the state-sponsored Chinese giant any access, branding it too much of a security risk.

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