UK Prime Minister Agrees to Release Evidence From Collapsed China Spy Case

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Oct. 15 agreed to release evidence submitted by the government in a now-collapsed case in which two men were accused of spying for China.

The case against Christopher Cash, 30, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, 33, a teacher, collapsed on Sept. 15, when prosecutor Tom Little KC said the case no longer met the evidential threshold. Both men pleaded not guilty.

In the House of Commons, the UK parliament’s lower chamber, Starmer said he had decided, after receiving legal advice, to release three witness statements made by deputy national security adviser Matthew Collins.

Earlier, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the BBC that the government should release them “in the interests of full transparency.”

“Otherwise, there will be legitimate questions about what exactly the government is hiding,” he said.

Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions, was accused in the House of Commons by Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch of being evasive about the reasons behind the trial’s collapse.

The prime minister insisted his government is not responsible for the trial collapsing, and sought to blame the previous Conservative government, which lost power in the July 2024 election.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times on the morning of Oct. 15: “The statements [of Collins] were provided to us for the purpose of criminal proceedings which are now over. The material contained in them is not ours, and it is a matter for the government, independently of the CPS, to consider whether or not to make that material public.”

‘Utmost Integrity’

On Wednesday, Starmer told the House of Commons that Collins was a “civil servant of the utmost integrity.”

He said he had decided to publish his witness statements, adding, “Given the information contained, we will conduct a short process … but I want to make it clear that I intend to publish the statements in full.”

Badenoch accused Starmer of “more obfuscation.”

“It is simply unbelievable that he is trying to say the last government did not classify China as a threat,” she said. “So I will refresh his memory.”

She said that in 2021, the Conservative government’s integrated review described China as “the biggest state-based threat to the UK’s economic security.” Badenoch also said that in November 2022, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum publicly classified China as a threat.

“In the summer, speaking alongside Director Wray of the FBI, I said that the activities of the Chinese Communist Party pose the most game-changing strategic challenge to the UK,” McCallum said at the time. “And we described the threat to our national and economic security, and to the UK’s political system.”

Badenoch asked, “How is it possible that the government failed to provide the evidence that the CPS needed to prosecute?”

Starmer noted that in 2023, when she was business secretary, Badenoch said, “We should certainly not be describing China as a foe.”

When asked during a 2023 Sky News interview whether China should be described as a threat, Badenoch said, “I would define it as a challenge.”

The prime minister added that in September 2024, Badenoch said, “I have shied away from calling China a threat.”

‘Something Must Have Changed’

“This whataboutery he is doing neglects the fact that those spies were charged under a Conservative government, they were let off under Labour,” Badenoch told Starmer on Wednesday.

“The CPS said that they were satisfied that the decision to charge the case in April 2024 was correct on the basis of where the law stood at that time. … Something must have changed when the charges were brought and when the case collapsed.”

Badenoch said the prime minister cannot explain why the government’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, held a “secret meeting” about the case even though he was not involved in it.

Starmer said that was a “red herring” and accused Badenoch of “playing politics with national security.”

After Prime Minister’s Questions, a Downing Street spokesman said, “Prior to last night, the CPS had made clear that witnesses have an expectation that their evidence will not be publicly discussed in those circumstances.”

“The CPS had also advised that to do so, or to do so in some cases, but not in others, would likely affect the confidence of witnesses in coming forward and hamper the interests of justice,” he said.

“However, given the CPS has now greenlit the publication, we will release the three statements from [Collins] after a short process. We will release the fullest version possible.”

It is not clear when the statements will be released.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Liberal Democrats’ foreign affairs spokesperson, Calum Miller, also urged the government to publish the full witness statements.

“If ministers have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear,” Miller said. “Failure to come clean will just confirm people’s suspicions of a cover-up and that ministers are more worried about cosying up to China than protecting our national security.”

PA Media contributed to this report.