Keir Starmer has committed to releasing significant evidence from a collapsed espionage case involving China in its entirety. Prime Minister, in a recent update to Members of Parliament, revealed that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had advised the government to disclose a crucial witness statement written by Matthew Collins, the government’s deputy national security adviser.
The case against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, accused of passing classified information to China, was abruptly dropped by the CPS on September 15. Both individuals, who have denied any misconduct, had the charges against them dismissed last month.
The case’s collapse triggered a rare intervention from the Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, who stated that obtaining evidence from the government regarding China as a national security threat was not feasible. To establish a case under the Official Secrets Act, prosecutors would have needed to demonstrate that the defendants were acting for an “enemy.”
Starmer emphasized that the witness statement by the government official reflected the Conservative government’s stance on China at the time of the alleged incident. He clarified that the former government’s reviews had carefully avoided labeling China as an adversary but rather emphasized enhanced national security measures in response to perceived threats from China.
Addressing concerns about disclosing the government’s evidence, Starmer confirmed that after legal advice, he had decided to publish the witness statement. He expressed regret that the case had been dropped and highlighted the importance of timely legislative updates to enable prosecutions in such cases.
The Prime Minister assured transparency in the process and reiterated his intention to release the witness statement in full, emphasizing that had legislative reforms been expedited, the individuals involved could have faced prosecution, avoiding the current situation.
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