Britain’s intelligence agencies will now be responsible for reviewing all government contracts in order to identify potential threats to national security. The decision comes amid concerns that “dangerous international actors” are infiltrating critical public services. Under the new powers, ministers will have the authority to blacklist companies with links to potentially hostile states, preventing them from selling goods and services to schools, hospitals, and central government. Additionally, a national security unit will be established in the Cabinet Office to collaborate with MI5, MI6, and GCHQ on contracts that could pose risks to UK resilience. This move follows mounting worries about the involvement of Chinese companies and technical components in the country’s critical national infrastructure.
In a related development, Huawei’s influence in the UK has been curtailed by the government due to security concerns. National Grid recently began removing components supplied by a Chinese state-backed company from its infrastructure.
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