THREE Dorset backbench MPs were among a group of Conservative politicians who rebelled against the government in an attempt to ban "high-risk vendors" such as Huawei from the UK's 5G network after 2022.

Sir Christopher Chope (Christchurch), Richard Drax (South Dorset) and Sir Robert Syms (Poole) all backed a Tory rebel amendment in the House of Commons.

However, with less than 40 Conservatives voting in support, Sir Iain Duncan Smith's amendment came up short.

The bill had been brought forward as critics are concerned that prime minister Boris Johnson's decision to allow Huawei to supply "non-core" elements of the 5G network could jeopardise security because of the firm's ties to the Chinese state.

The White House has banned the firm from US telecoms networks and has been highly-critical of the Government's decision, which came despite intense lobbying from the States.

Sir Iain had warned MPs that the rebels were "genuinely concerned" about the involvement of the firm he described as being "essentially almost completely owned" by Chinese trade unions controlled by the state.