Security minister Dan Jarvis has insisted the government made “every effort” to support the trial of two men accused of spying for China, rejecting Tory claims that the case was deliberately abandoned. Speaking in the Commons, Jarvis accused the Conservatives of making allegations “without a shred of evidence” and defended national security adviser Jonathan Powell against reports he influenced the decision.
The case against former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry was dropped last month after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it could no longer meet the evidential threshold. Jarvis revealed that deputy national security adviser Matthew Collins provided three witness statements between December 2023 and July 2025, all based on Conservative-era law and policy.
Jarvis blamed the collapse on “antiquated legislation” left unreformed by the previous government, and denied suggestions that evidence was concealed or witnesses withdrawn. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch rejected the explanation, claiming it “looks like a deliberate decision to collapse the case and curry favour with China”.
The Liberal Democrats called for publication of correspondence between Collins and the CPS, saying the “buck stops with the prime minister”. Jarvis confirmed that Powell was not involved in evidence decisions, and said engaging with China was necessary to protect national security, unlike the Tory approach of “ignoring China”.
CPS director Stephen Parkinson had previously written to MPs stating that without a government witness statement describing China as a “threat to UK national security”, the case “could not succeed”. Downing Street insisted the decision to drop charges was “entirely a matter for the CPS”, with no ministerial involvement.
