Former Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson has revealed that he believed the government itself was responsible for the now infamous leak of classified information to The Telegraph, information that surrounds the Chinese company Huawei’s bid to run the new 5G phone network.
Speaking to The Mirror and adding yet another new twist to the unprecedented scandal, Williamson says he believed that he would be completely exonerated by any Scotland Yard investigation and was furious that Prime Minister Theresa May had refused to allow one, stating that it had been his opinion that the leak was an official leak.
“I thought the buggers, they’ve leaked the sodding thing.”
Chris Williamson, The Mirror
The Huawei Affair was running the risk of spiralling out of control for May as figures across the political spectrum called for an independent inquiry by the police. General dissatisfaction surrounding the government’s conduct has continued to grow as the Prime Minister is believed to consider the matter is now closed.
Williamson was alleged to have made a phone call to a journalist very soon after the National Security Council meeting at the centre of the affair. The timing of this phone call seems to have been enough to convince the Prime Minister of his guilt, yet questions remain.
May is said to have offered the MP the opportunity to resign, the then Defence Secretary refusing to do so. Williamson then informed the Prime Minister that she would have to sack him, continuing to deny the assertion he had been responsible for the leak and blaming a feud with Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill for the situation.
Fears that Williamson may have been the fall guy for either another individual or the government itself have begun to be raised, with Williamson publicly confident of his innocence and the stated fact that he readily admitted to speaking to the Telegraph journalist who reported on the deal.
“If someone is a leaker, do they actually inform their private office that they have spoken to the journalist in question?”
Chris Williamson, The Mirror
Following the sacking of Williamson, the United States secretary of state Mike Pompeo will “warn” Theresa May against working with Huawei, stating that the company poses a risk to British national security. The possibility of Britain working with Huawei has strained relations with Washington who are engaging in a trade and technology war with the rising Chinese state, attempting to ensure that their global hegemony remains unchallenged. The possibility that darker forces are at work at the behest of the American government, the only power that profits from this leak, cannot be discounted.
Ken Macdonald, a former director of public prosecutions, has said that the leak was a breach the Official Secrets Act, arguing that any “damaging disclosure relating to security or intelligence” was a breach of the act. Only the Cabinet Office can refer the matter to the Metropolitan Police and are reluctant to do so, perhaps wishing to sweep the matter under the carpet as quickly as possible. Or perhaps it’s a case that once certain cupboards are opened, unintended skeletons might just fall out.
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