Gavin Williamson, U.K. defence secretary, arrives for a weekly meeting of cabinet ministers at number 10 Downing Street in London, U.K., on Tuesday, April 23, 2019.
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WASHINGTON — British Prime Minister Theresa May has fired Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson following a leak from a National Security Council meeting regarding Chinese tech giant Huawei.
“The Prime Minister has this evening asked Gavin Williamson to leave the Government, having lost confidence in his ability to serve in the role of Defence Secretary and as a member of her Cabinet,” Downing Street said in a statement Wednesday.
The statement added: “The Prime Minister’s decision has been informed by his conduct surrounding an investigation into the circumstances of the unauthorised disclosure of information from a meeting of the National Security Council. The Prime Minister thanks all members of the National Security Council for their full cooperation and candour during the investigation and considers the matter closed.”
The Daily Telegraph had reported that May approved letting Huawei help build the UK’s 5G network, in spite of national security warnings from some of her senior advisors and American officials.
Williamson has denied that he was the source of the leak.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
