Sir Keir Starmer has denied that any ministers were involved in the collapse of a high-profile Chinese spy trial. The Prime Minister reiterated that responsibility lay with the previous Conservative administration, which was in power when the alleged offences occurred between December 2021 and February 2023.
The case against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, a teacher, fell apart after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) could not obtain crucial evidence. Director of public prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said the government failed to provide evidence that China posed a threat to national security at the time of the alleged offences.
Former officials question explanation
Two former top civil servants have challenged Starmer's explanation for the prosecution's collapse. Former cabinet secretary Lord Simon Case said intelligence chiefs had warned of the threat from China for years, while his predecessor Lord Mark Sedwill expressed puzzlement about why the trial fell apart because Beijing was "of course" a threat to the UK.
Starmer argued that evidence should focus on the stated foreign policy position of the Tory administration in place during the alleged offences. In the 2023 refresh of the integrated review published under Rishi Sunak's premiership, China was described as an "epoch-defining challenge" but not as a threat.
Speaking at a press conference during a trade trip to India, the Prime Minister said: "The evidence in this case was drawn up at the time and reflected the position as it was at the time. And that has remained the situation from start to finish." He added: "You can't try people on the basis of situation as it now is or might be in the future."
Case details and timeline
Cash and Berry were charged by the CPS in April last year under the Official Secrets Act 1911. They were accused of collecting and communicating information which could be "useful to an enemy" - charges both men denied.
The case was dropped on September 15 after the CPS tried "over many months" to get the evidence needed to show China was a threat to national security. Parkinson said this evidence had not been forthcoming from Starmer's administration.
Critics have pointed to Starmer's attempts to build relations with the world's second-biggest economy as a possible reason for the government's reluctance to label China an "enemy" or threat. The Prime Minister insisted: "It's not a party political point. It's a matter of law."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
