Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced scrutiny after releasing three witness statements from the UK's deputy national security adviser in a bid to clarify why a spy case against two Britons was dropped. The documents reveal that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) abandoned charges despite warnings that Beijing's intelligence agencies 'harm the interests and security of the UK'.
The case involved Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, who were accused of spying for China. Charges were dropped because prosecutors could not secure evidence from senior civil servant Matthew Collins that Beijing posed a 'threat to the national security of the UK'. Collins' third statement, written in August, described China's intelligence services as 'highly capable' and noted their operations 'threaten the UK's economic prosperity and resilience'.
During Prime Minister's Questions, Starmer defended the decision to publish the statements, arguing that the previous Conservative government's failure to update legislation since 2015 led to the collapse of the case. He accused the Tories of 'slinging mud' and insisted there was no political interference. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch countered that the charges were brought under her party and collapsed under Labour, demanding answers on what changed.
The CPS declined to comment on reports that the director of public prosecutions told MPs the statements were '5% less than the evidence threshold needed'. No 10 confirmed Starmer was informed of the trial's imminent collapse 'a couple of days' before the CPS announcement but stressed it was not his role to intervene in criminal cases.
