PM's decision on Huawei is infuriating the US

The American reaction to the British government’s Huawei decision is rolling in. It’s not pretty.

Number 10 shouldn’t be surprised.

Multiple White House officials and US Senators had repeatedly warned that allowing the Chinese tech company into Britain’s 5G network would jeopardise the special relationship.

And so it’s proving.

Already influential Republican figures in both the House of Representatives and the Senate are tweeting their fury and threatening retaliation.

• Boris Johnson allows Huawei into UK's 5G network despite US security warnings

• Robert Peston: How will Trump react to Johnson blocking him over Huawei?

• What are the concerns over Huawei and the UK's 5G network?

The White House will follow suit. This Administration sees foreign policy - and specifically its strategic competition with China - in purely binary terms.

Everything is portrayed as either a win or a loss. And this will be seen as a big loss for US influence over its most important national security ally.

That fact alone will make an embattled President Trump incandescent.

• How 5G technology will help more than just communication in the UK

So this decision in Huawei may advance Britain’s digital infrastructure by several years. But at a price.

We are leaving the EU in days. And we have infuriated our most important ally.

That’s quite a combination.

Global Britain may suddenly find the world a lonely place.