Huawei will launch a fightback on Monday to try to preserve its role in Britain’s 5G networks, urging Boris Johnson not to “overestimate the risk of security and forget the economic impact” of delaying the rollout of full-fibre broadband.

After weeks of mounting attacks by Conservative MPs and by the government in Washington, the Chinese telecoms equipment provider has decided to respond publicly, embarking on an advertising campaign that stresses the company’s commitment to Britain over the past 20 years.

Huawei vice-president Victor Zhang insisted in an interview with the Financial Times that the Chinese group was not controlled by Beijing and claimed it was a private company 100 per cent owned by its employees “similar to the John Lewis model”.