Ex-Defence Secretary faces jail as UK MPs demand probe into Huawei leak

Ex-Defence Secretary faces jail as UK MPs demand probe into Huawei leak
# 02 May 2019 11:53 (UTC +04:00)

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May's office said that she'd decided to sack Gavin Williamson due to compelling evidence that the dismissed defence secretary was behind the Huawei leak; Williamson vehemently denies the accusations, ONA reports citing Sputnik.

A group of British MPs have sent a letter to London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, demanding a criminal probe into the sacked defence secretary Gavin Williamson’s behaviour in connection with his alleged involvement in the Huawei leak, according to The Daily Mail.

The newspaper cited Lib Dem MPs Jo Swinson, Sir Vince Cable and Sir Ed Davey as saying in the letter that the investigation is needed “to ascertain whether the actions of Mr. Williamson constitute a breach of the Official Secrets Act, given that the leak originated from the National Security Council and related to highly-sensitive information”. The offence stipulates a maximum two-year jail term.

READ MORE: UK in Arctic: Williamson's Show of Force Really is Empty Rhetoric — Pundit

Also demanding police action was Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson, who tweeted that “if he [Williamson] has leaked from the National Security Council, he should be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act” and that he “should forgo his ministerial severance pay”.

Scotland Yard responded by saying in a statement that they are aware of the Huawei leak-related media reports and that it is “a matter for the National Security Council and the Cabinet Office to look at”.

“At this time, we’re not carrying out an investigation”, the statement pointed out.

This comes a day after Theresa May sacked Williamson, in a move that was prompted by his “conduct surrounding an investigation into the circumstances of the unauthorised disclosure of information from a meeting of the National Security Council”, according to a statement by 10 Downing Street.

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