Boris Johnson is under pressure to announce a firm deadline for the removal of Huawei from the UK’s 5G network after 38 Tory MPs rebelled in a vote on the issue, slashing his majority by almost three quarters. The PM still won the division reasonably comfortably, but he should have a working majority of 87, and instead he won by just 24. (See 3.57pm.) All opposition parties apart from the DUP backed the rebel amendment, tabled by the former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, that was intended to stop the government using Huawei in 5G from 2023. Duncan Smith, who thinks the Chinese firm is a threat to UK national security, said that he was flexible about the deadline, but that he did want the government to set at timescale for the removal of Huawei from the network. Ministers have said that they will cap Huawei’s involvement in 5G at 35%, and that they want to lower this cap over time, as other supply options become available. In the debate Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, said that the government would bring forward a telecommunications security bill by the summer, which MPs could amend, and that the government was committed to working with Five Eyes partners (ie, intelligence allies) on developing an alternative to Huawei during this parliament. (See 2.48pm.) At one stage it looked as if the Dowden concessions had been choreographed to match the Duncan Smith demands and that Duncan Smith might withdraw his amendment. But during the debate Dowden failed to give Tory MPs the verbal assurances that they wanted, and Duncan Smith decided to force a vote. (See 3.03pm.) The government is under growing pressure to toughen up its coronavirus response as the number of confirmed cases in the UK rose to 373 and a sixth death was announced. There is full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak on our special live blog here.
Ministers should behave professionally and courteously when dealing with civil servants and could be given training if they fail to do so, Sir Mark Sedwill, the UK’s most senior civil servant, has told MPs. The chancellor must use the budget on Wednesday to announce an emergency stimulus package to help the economy cope with the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, according to one of Britain’s biggest investment companies. That’s all from me for today. Thanks for the comments.