Downing Street has released three witness statements from the UK’s deputy national security adviser in an attempt to defuse a political row over the decision to drop charges against two Britons accused of spying for China. The documents include messages between the accused men, one of whom warned the other: “You’re in spy territory now.”
The Crown Prosecution Service abandoned the case against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry after prosecutors said they could not obtain evidence from the senior civil servant that Beijing represented a threat to UK national security. The third statement, written in August by Matthew Collins, described China’s intelligence services as “highly capable” and said they conduct “large scale espionage operations against the UK to advance the Chinese state’s interests and harm the interests and security of the UK”.
The statement added that China’s espionage operations threaten the UK’s economic prosperity and resilience, and the integrity of its democratic institutions. It also noted that state-linked hackers compromised the UK Electoral Commission and carried out online reconnaissance against some MPs’ emails in 2021. According to a report, the Director of Public Prosecutions told MPs the statements were “5% less than the evidence threshold needed”.
The prosecution, brought under the 1911 Official Secrets Act, was unexpectedly dropped last month. The Conservatives accused Labour of preventing Mr Collins from supplying the statements because Keir Starmer and his national security adviser wanted a more positive relationship with Beijing. The prime minister dismissed the claims as “completely scurrilous” and blamed the previous government for failing to designate China as a threat and for delaying legislation.
The opposition leader, Kemi Badenoch, accused Starmer of not being honest about the collapse of the case. In response, the Conservatives said the release of the witness statements was “limited” and “falls short of what was requested”. Downing Street said the prime minister was told the trial was on the brink of collapse a couple of days before the CPS announced it, but insisted it was not for him to intervene.
