this is not true. i utterly correct, this is not true. i utterly refuted. if you look at the text of the payments are's letter together mines and, it suggests that all the evidence points —— the prime minister's letter the evidence points to get mounting, but they don't have absolute evidence. compelling evidence, suggesting that back not guaranteed, but suggesting your responsibility for the leak, no other credible expedition for these events have been fine. all the signs pointed to government, but we may not always have a smoking gun. clearly there is a clash of two different views here. but, the prime minister has made it very clear decision. i don't think anything is going to say necessarily well reversed that decision. thank you very much. 0h, we were hoping to

bring in the chair of the defence committee, he is at the houses of parliament, but i think we have not managed to establish that line at the moment. let us stay with james and frank at the moment. for people who have maybe justjoining and frank at the moment. for people who have maybejustjoining us and have not heard, just bring us up to speed as to what has happened. have not heard, just bring us up to speed as to what has happenedm the last few minutes, the prime minister has published a letter from ten downing st, sacking gavin williamson the defence secretary, saying that she no longer has confidence in him and that he must leave the garment. he is refusing. the reason for the sacking is because of the leak enquiry relating to latitude the's national security council meeting which was discussing very sensitive information —— relating to the leak at the nsc meeting. discussing huawei's involvement with the 5g network. gavin williamson and others denied it, but he has been apparently

identified, according to this letter is the person that you cannot trust. he is still denying it. thank you very much. great how the onset. we can very much. great how the onset. we ca n ci’oss very much. great how the onset. we can cross the placental lobby to speak to the deputy labour leader... no, actually we have the chair of the defence committee to stop we had a little bit of confusion. thank you very much for being with us. let's get straight in. and get your response to this news that governments and has been sacked. leg well, from the from the point of your defence it is a loss. he never said he was an expert on defence, but he was willing to listen to experts on defence. and if he could be convinced of a rightness of a course of action, he would go in and fight for it. and i have in mind, the disastrous proposal to get rid of her and petty as capability, hms

albion and hms bill which he stopped dead. and i have the attempts that we re dead. and i have the attempts that were made to cut the defence budget in favour of security and intelligence services and he thought that off and actually managed to get an increase in the defence budget. so he has been good for defence. i think very highly of penny mourdant andi think very highly of penny mourdant and i am sure she will bring a great deal of talent and ability to the job, but, in assessing gavin, that is my overall opinion. that is a warm tribute to him essentially. and yet, the prime minister saying there is no other credible version of events to explain this leak other than that they came from gavin williamson to stop what you make of this accusation and decision by the prime minister? i have not been into the question at all of who has made a sleek and have not investigated it. -- this a sleek and have not investigated it. —— this leak. it is not my priority at all... but it is very serious and the leak came from that

committee. yes and no. no secret information was great, but i don't condone it. what appears to have been right was the fact that the home secretary, the defence secretary and the foreign secretary all believe that it has a security risk for huawei to be involved in oui’ risk for huawei to be involved in our 5g network and what's more, they are absolutely right and they are being overrun by ministers from other departments. now, it is one thing to lick political information of that sort, it is quite another to lea k of that sort, it is quite another to leak —— to lick political information of that sort, it is quite another to leak technicalities of equipment, secret equipment. no, i think it is inevitable that if somebody is caught bang to rights leaking from any cabinet committee, it isa leaking from any cabinet committee, it is a career destroying moment. thank you. sorry, we'rejust looking ahead to what is up. just give us a

sense that like you mentioned penny mourdant and you believe that is a good murder? it is a good choice. i'm sorry the circumstances —— that isa i'm sorry the circumstances —— that is a good move. yes, i believe that is a good move. yes, i believe that isa is a good move. yes, i believe that is a good move. yes, i believe that is a good move. yes, i believe that is a good move. she is a highly qualified reserve officer and her heart is very much with the defence and security of the country. i am sure she will be an excellent first female defence secretary and, what's more, an excellent defence secretary irrespective of gender. it is all change and change is not helpfulfor the payments at this moment. we could do it a bit of change at the moment with the outcome of the european referendum at all that time ago. i don't think this will have much bearing on this at the moment. in this all seriousness, the prime minister is under great pressure and

having someone who was considered loyal to her it will potentially leave her feeling more loyal to her it will potentially leave herfeeling more exposed. and in this to do things to keep the country in this to do things to keep the cou ntry safe in this to do things to keep the country safe and strong. that's why earlier today i was getting the prime minister a hard time about gavin who like this. he was equally can he was equally concerned about having a chinese communist —controlled company building the next generation of our telecommunications networks. there are the things that interest me to stop if you want somebody to talk about the internal political battle, i'm afraid you'll have to get one of my colleagues in my place. on on that point about huawei, there has clearly been tension about this issue from members of the cabinet but it seems that the decision had been made. do you think this issue around loan? no i hope it does not

seem that the decision has been made because we were told we were told that no decision would be made and it would be and as to permit any full time to stop well it was suggested that how well we would have a role. the whole argument now you're getting into the nitty—gritty of it. the whole question of the 5g network situation is that it is unrealistic to make a distinction between core equipment and edge equipment. at the age of this process there will be all sorts of future appliances and i came back to what i said before. absolutely insane to involve a company which is under the control of the chinese communist state. and the fact that david lidington said in answer to when he was deputising for theresa may, oh, it is a private company. legally speaking. suggest to me that

people have forgotten what it means to live any communist totalitarian one—party state. theresa may in the latter has sacked gavin williamson as defence secretary, blaming him for leaking information from a national security council meeting. he will be replaced by penny mourdant. lots more to come on that. any moment it will be before 100 days. but just on that. any moment it will be before 100 days. butjust to bring some more baking years. in the past few moments a petition to recall independent mp fiona 0nasanya in her peterborough constituency has a firstly by—election in her constituency. nigel farage has also confirmed his brexit party will contest the by—election. thatjust come into his. let's return to the

issue of gavin williamson and his sacking to stop we are just getting through his letter. unfortunately thatis through his letter. unfortunately that is too small for me to read. my my projector is just talking to me saying that it does reiterate that he strenuously denies that he was involved in that week. a letter now issued to the prime minister saying he is confident he will be vindicated. for him this is clearly not the end of the matter, although the breaking of the saving is that the breaking of the saving is that the prime minister has sacked gavin williamson as defence secretary, replacing him with penny mordant. murphy and beyond 100

you're watching beyond 100 days. the british defence secretary is accused of leaking out of the national security council and has just been sacked by theresa may. the prime minister said there was compelling evidence mr williamson was responsible and she has lost confidence in him. but gavin williams denies he was the league about the uk adopting five g technology from a chinese firm. 0n the defensive, the us attorney generalfacing tough the defensive, the us attorney general facing tough questions about his handling of the mueller report. developments during the investigation was not sufficient to establish that