Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced intense scrutiny after releasing witness statements in an attempt to quell controversy over the Crown Prosecution Service's decision to drop a case against two Britons accused of spying for China. The documents, published on Wednesday night, reveal that the UK's deputy national security adviser, Matthew Collins, described China's intelligence services as a threat to national security, yet the CPS abandoned the prosecution.
The case involved Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, who were charged under the 1911 Official Secrets Act. Charges were dropped last month after prosecutors failed to obtain evidence from Collins that Beijing posed a “threat to the national security of the UK”. One message between the accused warned: “You’re in spy territory now.”
Collins's third witness statement, written in August, stated that China's intelligence services “conduct large scale espionage operations against the UK to advance the Chinese state’s interests and harm the interests and security of the UK”. It also noted that China-linked hackers compromised the UK Electoral Commission and targeted MPs' emails in 2021. However, earlier statements were more nuanced, with Collins acknowledging the government's commitment to a positive economic relationship with China.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of political interference, claiming the case collapsed under Labour after being brought under the Tories. Starmer retorted that the previous government's failure to update legislation since 2015 prevented prosecution. The CPS declined to comment on reports that Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson told parliamentary committee chairs the statements were “5% less than the evidence threshold”.
No 10 confirmed Starmer was informed of the trial's imminent collapse “a couple of days” before the CPS announcement but insisted he could not intervene. Conservatives argued the released statements were “limited” and “falls short of what was requested”, while a party spokesperson said the documents highlighted the threat from China, making the collapse “all the more shocking”.
