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Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) will face a Commons grilling over the China spy case after his Government clashed with the Crown Prosecution Service over releasing crucial evidence. The Prime Minister faces mounting pressure over his administration's handling of the collapsed case against two alleged spies.
The controversy centres on charges dropped last month against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, a teacher. Both men deny wrongdoing but had been accused of passing secrets to China.
Evidence release dispute
Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald had been prepared to publish a Government witness statement central to the withdrawal of espionage charges. The statement was by Matthew Collins, the deputy national security adviser, which the CPS deemed insufficient to proceed with the trial.
Government sources claimed Wormald went to the CPS to discuss publishing Collins' statement. Prosecutors concluded during their meeting that publishing the evidence outside a courtroom would be "inappropriate", according to senior sources.
CPS hits back
The CPS denied the Government's claims about blocking publication. "The statements were provided to us for the purpose of criminal proceedings which are now over," a CPS spokesperson said.
"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," the spokesperson added.
Political pressure mounts
Kemi Badenoch's (Conservative) party has been pressing ministers over their handling of the collapsed trial. The latest twist is likely to come under scrutiny at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.
Starmer told his Cabinet on Tuesday that Collins is a "highly respected securocrat" who made "every effort" to support the case in court. However, Collins was constrained by the "policy position of the government at the time of the offence", the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.
The Prime Minister blamed the Conservative approach to China, saying the last Tory government "declined to describe China either as an enemy or infer that by describing it as a current threat to national security". Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat) urged the Government to publish Collins' witness statement, saying: "If ministers have nothing to hide they have nothing to fear."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
