Mubasher: The next UK prime minister should urgently decide on the part which Huawei would take in the fifth-generation (5G) networks as the ongoing debate was taking a heavy toll on international ties, a parliamentary committee said.

While “such an important decision therefore requires careful consideration, […] the extent of the delay is now causing serious damage to our international relationships: a decision must be made as a matter of urgency,” the parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee said in a Friday statement.

The US threatened to block access to valuable intelligence for nations that use the Chinese company’s equipment, alleging that they could be used by Beijing for espionage.

National Security Council, headed by Prime Minister Theresa May, discussed the matter last April, which led to a decision to block Huawei from all critical components of the 5G network, and allow only a restricted access to less sensitive ones.

The final decision on the telecoms equipment maker was to be made by the government, but Premier May’s decision to resign ceased the process.

Next week, either foreign minister Jeremy Hunt or former London mayor Boris Johnson will replace May.

The committee proposed diversifying suppliers of the 5G equipment, but also highlighted the issue of overdependence and weaker competition led to lowering security standards.

Currently, there were only three providers, namely Huawei, Nokia and Ericsson.

“including a third company - even if you may have some security concerns about them and will have to set a higher bar for security measures within the system - will, counter-intuitively, result in higher overall security,” the Intelligence Committee said.