Senator James Paterson,who chairs the Joint Corporations and Financial Services Committee,said the ban had been uncontroversial when imposed in Australia.

"Successive Australian governments from both sides of politics banned Huawei from our broadband and 5G networks with very little controversy,"he said.

"No one in the Australian political system regrets those decisions today."

Labor Senator Kimberly Kitching said while Australian politics could be"robust and combative"there was complete bipartisanship on the issue.

"Recognising that in this age of unprecedented cyber interference,protecting critical infrastructure is a crucial part of our national security,"Kitching said.

"It is the ultimate false economy to allow the commercial benefits to outweigh the security considerations where a vendor cannot offer 100 per cent integrity."

Pollster YouGovsaid trust in Huawei in Britain wasn't"just low"but"deteriorating."

"Over half of consumers (53 per cent) and business leaders (56 per cent) reported that they were worried,as did three-quarters of business leaders (75 per cent),"it said.

"More than eight in 10 MPs (83 per cent) are alarmed about potential national security risks,and while a third (34 per cent) would allow Huawei to get involved in non-core parts of 5G infrastructure,a comfortable majority (62 per cent) believe it shouldn’t touch anything that’s strategically sensitive."

More than half also say working with the company damages the UK-US"special relationship".

The US has threatened to limit intelligence sharing with Britain,because under Chinese law,Huawei can be forced to spy on Beijing's behalf,but the threat has beendismissed as a bluff.

Speaking to the Australia-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce in London on Thursday,former Foreign Minister Bob Carr said Australia's attempts to lead the Five Eyes in banning Huawei had damaged the bilateral relationship,with Scott Morrison unable to secure a visit to Beijing since becoming Prime Minister.

Carr said he was neutral on the question of the ban itself but said Australia should not have made a virtue of being the leader.

"Why did we have to be the first of the Five Eyes nations to do it? Why couldn't we have moved in tandem with the governments?"Carr said.

"Why did we have to take the lead role[amongst the Five Eyes],or why did we have to announce we were taking a lead role?"

Carr recently stepped down from the Australia-China Relations Institute which was funded by thebanned Chinese donor and agent of influence Huang Xiangmo.

Carr said claims of foreign interference were exaggerated and limited to just one donor.