Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has written to Sir Keir Starmer demanding he address “unanswered questions” over the collapse of a spy case involving two men accused of spying for Beijing. In a letter sent as MPs return to Westminster, Badenoch calls for “clarity and honesty” and asks the prime minister to make a parliamentary statement on the matter.
The case against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, a teacher, was dropped after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it could not obtain evidence from the government describing China as a national security threat. Former security minister Tom Tugendhat described the collapse as “absolutely abhorrent” and accused the government of being “willing to cover up the actions of a hostile state”.
Downing Street maintains that the previous Conservative administration had not designated China as a threat, so the current government could not provide evidence to that effect. However, former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove has expressed surprise at the decision to drop the case, and other ex-officials have raised alarm. The Conservatives are seeking an urgent question and an emergency parliamentary debate.
Badenoch’s letter notes that the government’s account “has changed repeatedly” and points out Starmer is travelling to Egypt for a summit rather than addressing Parliament. She asks whether it remains government policy to claim it would be impossible to argue China was a threat in court. Meanwhile, reports that National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell discussed the case in a meeting have been denied by Downing Street, which insists he made no decisions on evidence or the substance of the case.
