U.S. President Donald Trump is claiming he was behind the UK's decision to ban Huawei from its 5G network from the end of 2027.

The UK's Health Secretary Matt Hancock was quick to deny it, telling Sky News: "Well, we all know Donald Trump don't we."

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered Huawei equipment to be removed from Britain's 5G network in what has been seen as a choice between siding with global rivals the U.S. or China.

Johnson has been under pressure from Trump to remove Huawei, while at the same time China has sought to warn him that the UK risks losing billions of dollars that has been invested.

The U.S. president claimed he had persuaded the UK to remove Huawei from its 5G network.

"We convinced many countries, many countries, I did this myself for the most part, not to use Huawei because we think it is an unsafe security risk, it's a big security risk," said Trump.

In January, the UK decided  to allow Huawei to supply up to 35 percent of its non-core 5G network. On Tuesday, it reversed that decision, banning British telecoms operators from buying any 5G equipment from Huawei by year-end and giving them seven years to rip out existing gear.

The reason given by the UK government for its  about-turn was the impact of new U.S. sanctions on chip technology, which Britain's National Cyber Security Centre, part of the GCHQ eavesdropping agency, had told ministers meant Huawei was not a reliable supplier.

"This has not been an easy decision, but it is the right one for the UK telecoms networks, for our national security and our economy, both now and indeed in the long run," Digital Minister Oliver Dowden told the UK parliament.

"By the time of the next election, we will have implemented in law an irreversible path for the complete removal of Huawei equipment from our 5G networks."

Jeremy Thompson, Huawei UK's vice president, said it was bad news not only for the company, which has invested in the country, but also for the British public, who now face delays.

"We feel that we have contributed a lot to the UK telecommunications infrastructure by providing the Huawei equipment. We're geared up to support 5G and 5G development in the UK," he said.

"This is going to delay 5G, so we are disappointed ... and for everyone with a mobile phone and a broadband connection, it's bad news because it is going to delay the rollout and cost billions."

Thompson also said the U.S. Huawei sanctions were down to trade not security.

"I think the first thing to say about those American sanctions is that they are motivated not by security but by trade and American protectionism," he added.

China's Ambassador to the UK said the decision to ban Huawei from its 5G network was "disappointing and wrong."

Ambassador Liu Xiaoming said the decision by Johnson's government meant "it has become questionable whether the UK can provide an open, fair and discriminatory business environment for companies from other countries."