Huawei Leak.....

[mushroom25]

and Gavin Williamson gets his marching orders...
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48126974

and yet - he's pulling the Shaggy defence, which makes no sense. he couldn't have hoped to remain undetected so must have made the leak for reasons of conscience - but is flatly denying being responsible. any suggestions as to his motive?

[spathiphyllum]

Thanks Ich.. Seems like not a big deal at all. Worse data has been leaked before.

[ichkeria]

It is a big deal.
I sympathise with Mr W if it was he to a degree, but you don’t leak from these meetings
Full stop

[Khandro]

Spying on No. 10's cat food would be the least of it, but it would not be difficult, I think, for them to build in a secret 'melt down' option which would enable them to black-out all communications within the UK. That could mean, banking, transport, hospitals, defense - the lot; a chilling thought.

[ichkeria]

It is actually.
One hopes the NCSC advice was such that the risks were felt to be negligible.

[jno]

incidentally, the political editor of the Sun has explained leaks:

///You don’t ring up a minister and say, ‘Will you leak this to me?’ You say to him, “If I were to write, and I think that this happened, would I look particularly silly?” And then the minister says to you, “I don’t think you look silly, Tom, at the best of times”. And that’s the code we talk in. Or sometimes they say, “You do look particularly silly much of the time”. That’s the code. And that’s how it would have happened.///

So Williamson could have confirmed a suggestion without specifically saying so, and swear he hadn't leaked anything. Which is why I think it would be nice to hear the tape of the interview he gave to the Telegraph.

[Khandro]

jno; //So Williamson could have confirmed a suggestion without specifically saying so,//
But how would the journalist even know it was on the agenda to formulate such a question?

[dannyk13]

Khandro, he would probably have found out via a leak.

[ichkeria]

The suggestion that the government had approved Huawei is hardly an outrageous assumption

[jno]

it's no secret that the cabinet was divided on the issue. All the journo has to do is ask a series of questions couched in the terms mentioned. "Please tell me if you think I'm wrong" is a good approach: if he doesn't tell you you're wrong then he's given you information without saying a word.

[barney15c]

Words to the effect "will will root out this breach and act without fear and favour" were used when investigations were being initiated. Pretty empty words really as both seem to be comprimised, "fear" of what Williamson might decide to disclose , and "Favour" for covering the backside of the government.

[barney15c]

The opposition should be ramping up the call for a criminal investigation, it seems the police and government are passing the buck between each other hoping it will all dies down. Whether it was not secret information or not it was the intent. If Williamson is innocent then he should be spearheading the call for a criminal investigation if he values his reputation and wants to clear his name.

[barney15c]

Correction "Whether it was secret information or not"

[ichkeria]

The chances are a criminal investigation would not prove anything.
Maybe that’s why he wants one :-)
Best left I think. I don’t see the point in pursuing it through the courts.

[JF85]

The difficulty for the government, barney15c, is that to prosecute Williamson they might have to make even more damaging disclosures about sensitive issues. Further, there are two types of 'burden of evidence'.

Williamson has been judged to be the leak on the 'balance of probabilities', meaning it was more likely him than anyone else. This could be a 51/49 verdict.

In a criminal court, the burden of proof is to show something 'beyond reasonable doubt'. This means only an idiot could have doubts: closer to a 95/5 decision.

Theresa May has acted to send a message and to close off what she believes was a Minister acting in breach of the rules. It is probably not in the public or national interest to prosecute, because the public would gain nothing from a token sentence for a politician who is unlikely to commit the offence again and has not caused physical harm to anybody, and national security could be harmed more than it already has.

[gulliver1]

Can not see what harm has been done by this so called leak , everyone knew that "Huawei " had been recruited by the present government to carry out certain tasks .

[THECORBYLOON]

It's not so much the contents of the leak, it's the fact there was a leak at all.

[Togo]

Two weeks or so ago the NSC met to talk about the "issues" regarding Huawei being one of the suppliers for the new 5G system. Remember everyone knew what the meeting was about, it was not a secret. This is from the Telegraph on the 24th April.

“Theresa May has given the green light to a Chinese telecoms giant to help build Britain’s new 5G network despite warnings from the US and some of her most senior ministers that it poses a risk to national security. The National Security Council, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, agreed on Tuesday to allow Huawei limited access to help build parts of the network such as antennas and other “noncore” infrastructure. Sajid Javid, the Home Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, Gavin Williamson, Defence Secretary, Liam Fox, International Trade Secretary, and Penny Mordaunt, International Development Secretary, were said to have raised concerns about the approach.”

Note the last name on the list of "concerned" attendees. The outcry about the breach of official secrets, really?, was led by Sedwill. Civil serpant and Cabinet Secretary. The man who was more than happy to ignore Cabinet leaks from Remainiac MPs. after so called "secret meetings". Tell me what is so secret and sensitive about the facts published? Or is it more about keeping the British public from knowing what is being decided, in closed meetings, about matters that affect us greatly. Matters that May and her other treacherous cohorts know would cause an outcry if they were made public. By the way Sidwell started the "inquiry" when May was in NI, at the funeral of Lyra McKee, without her knowledge or assent. At the same time, again entirely off his own bat, he even sent an ‘official’ to get a statement from Mr Williamson who was on holiday in Scotland. May is not running her cabinet or her government – the top mandarins of Whitehall are. The time to bypass our elected officials is fast approaching. Pass the ammo Amos.

[ichkeria]

That’s the actual leak you’re quoting For Funks Sake!!

[10ClarionSt]

If it want 'im wot dunnit, sumone else nose sumfink, yer 'onor.

[Togo]

//That’s the actual leak you’re quoting For Funks Sake!! //

I know. Earth shattering isn't it. Any observer of May's "decisions" could have worked out by now that if it is not in the best interests of the UK then that is her preferred and final choice. It stinks, and it is rotting from the head down. Just like the fish in Denmark.