Lindsay Hoyle hints at security crackdown in wake of China spy case
The Speaker of the House of Commons signaled a possible security crackdown in the wake of the Chinese spying scandal, as he said he had spoken to officials about “access arrangements”.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he was seeking legal advice on “how to pursue this matter through other means”, just days after telling MPs he was “very angry” about the collapse of the case against two men accused of spying for China.
Ministers continue to face questions about why prosecutors dropped the charges, which has led to political debate over who is responsible for the failure of the investigation.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon, Sir Lindsay Hoyle said: “I remain disappointed at what has happened in this case.
“I, along with the Lord Advocate, continue to seek advice from the authorities and expert legal advice on what steps can be taken to further pursue this matter.
“Although it would not be appropriate to discuss security issues in detail on the parliamentary floor, I am also talking to officials about access arrangements.”
The CPS dropped the case against former parliamentary investigators Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry in September after considering the evidence did not show China was a threat to national security.
Both men, who denied wrongdoing, were accused of passing secrets to China.
The government has faced questions about whether anything could have been done to prevent the case from collapsing and whether China should be considered a security threat.
The security minister told MPs on Monday there was “nothing” Sir Keir Starmer or any other minister could do to prevent the case falling apart.
Dan Jarvis said: “Ultimately, it was a completely independent decision by the CPS to stop the case and they confirmed that they were under no external pressure to do so.”
Ministers noted the previous Tory government’s stance on China, which classified China as a challenge.
Mr Jarvis called on the Conservatives to “stop mudslinging” the issue and pressed them on whether any Conservative ministers were involved in providing the evidence.
Responding to a pressing question from Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, Mr Jarvis said: “The opposing party has refused to confirm whether any Conservative ministers or special advisers were involved in providing the evidence under the previous government. I wonder if any of the former ministers here can answer today.”
He continued: “I kindly say they need to stop throwing mud at the opposition’s front bench and start confronting what happened during their bouts.”
