is misleading the country on defence and security', citing a 'worryingly poor understanding of the issues' by her office. On 8 January 2019, Dearlove sent a letter co-signed by Field Marshal Lord Guthrie to all Chairs of Conservative Party Parliamentary Constituency Associations with sitting Members of Parliament stating that the passage through the House of Commons of the Brexit withdrawal agreement contained decisions which fundamentally undermined the integrity of the Defence of the Realm, and requested that they take measures to discourage their parliamentary representatives from voting for it in the Commons. The letter as an alternative advocated the case upon national security grounds that the United Kingdom should fully withdraw from the European Union without an Intergovernmental relationship between the two persisting after the process. On 16 May 2019 Dearlove characterised Huawei's role in the British 5G network as "an unnecessary risk" as it could give the Chinese government a "potentially advantageous exploitative position". On 17 January 2020, as U.S. President Donald Trump was held to be bluffing by the EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan over the incompatibility of Five Eyes and Huawei, Dearlove said Huawei posed a security threat "without question... It’s a capability in the bank that China will use if it needs to... If the Chinese state says to Huawei 'jump' the company can’t turn round and say 'no'." On 3 June 2020 Dearlove stated in a podcast interview that the Coronavirus disease 2019 began 'as an accident' either in the Wuhan Institute of Virology lab or in the Wuhan Centre for Disease Control. References External links Debrett's People of Today "Richard Dearlove Asked About Iraq War Intelligence at Chatham House" 1945 births Living people People educated at Monkton Combe School Kent School alumni Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Chiefs of the Secret Intelligence Service Fellows of Pembroke College, Cambridge Masters of Pembroke College, Cambridge Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Officers of the Order of the British Empire Post–Cold War spies People from Cornwall