Allowing Huawei to provide equipment for the UK’s future 5G mobile networks would be “naive” and “irresponsible”, warned a report by the Royal United Services Institute, the defence think-tank, increasing pressure on ministers to overrule intelligence chiefs and ban the Chinese telecoms group.

Cyber experts from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, part of signals intelligence agency GCHQ, have concluded that the risks from Huawei can be mitigated, even in the more complex 5G networks of the future.

Ciaran Martin, the head of the NCSC is this week expected to set out the agency’s position on the security of mobile technology, which could potentially put the UK at odds with US security chiefs, who have been pushing Britain and other allies to shut out Huawei over fears that it could use its access to spy on or disrupt networks.