New revelations have cast doubt on Conservative criticisms regarding the collapsed China spy trial, revealing that plans to label Beijing as an “enemy” were abandoned during Rishi Sunak’s administration.
The Conservative Party, led by Kemi Badenoch, was accused of deceiving the public with exaggerated outrage over the case’s collapse last month.
Accusations have been repeatedly made by the Conservatives against Keir Starmer’s government for alleged political interference and subsequent inaction in the trial of Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash, who were charged with passing information to China between 2021 and 2023. Both defendants denied the allegations.
Following the Crown Prosecution Service’s admission of insufficient evidence to proceed to trial, Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson blamed the government for failing to provide evidence of China’s threat to national security.
The charges against Cash and Berry were based on the Official Secrets Act 1911, which has since been replaced by the National Security Act 2023. The previous law required evidence that the information shared was beneficial to an enemy.
In correspondence to Members of Parliament, National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell disclosed that the term “enemy” in relation to China was removed from critical evidence in 2023 due to inconsistency with government policy at the time.
Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Collins informed Counter Terror Police and the CPS of this alteration, which went unnoticed amid Tory allegations of political meddling by Labour.
The Attorney General, Lord Hermer, clarified that he was notified of the DPP’s decision to drop the case on September 3, leading to its collapse, but denied any interference in the legal proceedings.
The latest developments will see the DPP and Mr. Collins face questioning from MPs, with Mr. Parkinson citing Mr. Collins’s reluctance to characterize China as a national security threat as detrimental to the case.
Criticism has been directed at the Conservatives, with the PM’s spokesperson highlighting their baseless accusations and negligence towards national security, calling for accountability.
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Max Wilkinson MP emphasized the need for answers from both Conservatives and Labour regarding the case, urging the Conservative leadership to apologize for misleading the public during the ordeal.
