Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy has been making a splash in recent days with a tough line on China. Yesterday, however, she took the unusual step of publicly pouring cold water on the idea that she believed China should be excluded from building the UK’s 5G network. The confusion happened after appearing on John Pienaar’s Times Radio show…

I didn’t say this @JPonpolitics. I said the UK needed to develop home grown alternatives, a proper assessment of the national security implications and maintain constructive engagement with China as part of a more strategic approach. https://t.co/9LIK1VT1ax

— Lisa Nandy (@lisanandy) July 1, 2020

Which is curious, because just one hour earlier, she had  agreed with “No to Chinese involvement in 5G”. Listen along here…

“No to Chinese involvement in 5G, no to Chinese involvement in our nuclear energy infrastructure, and if that means a row with Beijing well then so be it?”

“Yes, but more than that, that we need to have a constructive dialogue with China.”

“This is one moment where the interests of the Chinese Government are directly pitted against the interests not only of the people of Hong Kong but of Britain as well and we have to be absolutely clear that we are going to stand firm in relation to that.”

If you’re going to deny something it’s a good idea to make sure there isn’t a recording of you saying it just an hour earlier. Why the row back?