Keir Starmer to publish UK Government witness statements from collapsed China spy case

Sir Keir Starmer has announced that witness statements submitted by the UK Government as part of the collapsed China spy case will be published in full.

Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative Party has been pressing Labour ministers over their handling of the collapsed trial of Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry.

Both men, who deny wrongdoing, had been accused of passing secrets to China, but charges against them were dropped last month.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer said: “Last night, the Crown Prosecution Service clarified that, in their view, the decision whether to publish the witness statements of (deputy national security adviser Matt Collins) is for the Government.

“I therefore carefully considered this question this morning, and after legal advice, I have decided to publish the witness statement.

“Given the information contained, we will conduct a short process. But I want to make clear, I intend to publish the witness statements in full.

“Let me say this, had the Conservatives been quicker in updating our legislation, a review that started in 2015, these individuals could have been prosecuted, and we would not be where we are now.”

The director of public prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, previously said the trial collapsed because the government refused to brand Beijing a threat to national security.

Starmer’s administration has since been under pressure to explain the collapse, with the Conservatives saying Labour had undermined national security.

Government foreign minister, Hamish Falconer, previously described the outrage as “nonsense,” claiming the trial collapsed due to the previous Tory government’s position on Beijing.

Starmer and Badenoch continued to be at odds on Wednesday, with Starmer accusing the Tory leader of “playing politics with national security” while Badenoch said the “spies were charged under a Conservative government” and were “let off under Labour”.

Badenoch said the Government needed to explain what had changed between two suspected spies being charged in 2023 and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropping the case against them last month.

“The charges were brought under us, the case collapsed under them,” Badenoch said.

“Can the Prime Minister tell us what changed and what collapsed the case?”

Starmer replied: “I’ve said I will publish the witness statements in full. The whole House will then see exactly what was set out in 2023 in the substantive witness statement, and exactly what was set out in the two supplementary witness statements, and she will then realise what she’s just said is entirely baseless.”

Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper said she welcomed the “new level of transparency” from Starmer on the China spying case, but added that there are “still many questions to be answered”.