In a dramatic pre-election confrontation, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has launched a blistering attack on Sir Keir Starmer, accusing the Labour leader of compromising Britain's national security through his previous professional engagements with China.
Security Concerns Raised
During a tense exchange on BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Badenoch claimed that Sir Keir's work with the Crown Prosecution Service had involved "training Chinese judges" and establishing connections that could pose significant security risks. The cabinet minister didn't hold back, stating these relationships represented "a security problem for this country."
Starmer's Legal Background Under Scrutiny
The controversy centres on Sir Keir's tenure as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013. During this period, the Crown Prosecution Service engaged in international cooperation programmes, including with Chinese judicial authorities. Ms Badenoch specifically highlighted these interactions as evidence of what she termed "the kind of links that create a security problem."
Political Battle Intensifies
This extraordinary accusation comes as both major parties ramp up their campaigning ahead of the upcoming general election. The Conservative Party appears to be making national security and China relations a central theme of their electoral strategy, directly targeting Sir Keir's professional history.
Labour sources have previously defended Sir Keir's work with international jurisdictions as standard practice for the CPS, which regularly engages with foreign legal systems as part of broader diplomatic and professional exchange programmes.
Broader Implications
The attack signals a significant escalation in political rhetoric surrounding China policy and national security. With China emerging as a key geopolitical concern for Western nations, both parties are positioning themselves as having the most robust approach to managing the UK's relationship with Beijing.
As the election campaign gathers momentum, these security-focused allegations are likely to feature prominently in Conservative attacks on Labour's leadership credentials and judgement in international affairs.
