Threat assessment of China led to spy case collapse, says CPS

Britain’s most senior prosecutor said that two men accused of espionage to China collapsed, because the government could not get evidence by referring to China as a national security threat.

Sir Keir Starmer said that the government could only benefit from the previous conservative government’s assessment of China, which was called a “recalling challenge” to the country.

The accusations against the 30 -year -old Christopher Cash and the 33 -year -old Christopher Berry, who both rejected the allegations, brought criticism by prosecutors and deputies in September.

Public Prosecutor’s Director Stephen Parkinson said that there was sufficient evidence to be tried when the charges were brought in April 2024, but a precedent determined by another espionage case brought the threshold required to condemn people under the Official Secrets Law.

The Minister said that the Royal Prosecutor’s Office has made an effort to get more evidence from the government for months for months, but the witness statements provided did not meet the threshold to continue to prosecute.

Mr. Parkinson said the evidence should represent China as a “threat to national security” during the alleged crimes of Mr. Cash and Mr. Berry.

However, the Prime Minister said that the government’s definition of China could not change backwards and should be based on the “position of the last government”.

The government claimed that the hearing collapsed and the intervention of Mr. Parkinson was “disappointed” after weeks of speculation that the prosecution could not continue.

A former parliamentary researcher and Mr. Berry were accused of gathering and providing prejudiced information for the security and interests of the state between December 2021 and February 2023.

In accordance with the official secrets law, anyone accused of espionage can only be tried for a useful for an enemy.

In a letter last month, Mr. Parkinson said that “the case can no longer be tried because the evidence is no longer encountering the evidence test,” but he said he could not enter the reasons.

In his last letter sent to MPs, he said that he had taken more details of sharing the “unusual” step because “government briefings were commented on the evidence situation”.

Mr. Parkinson, earlier this year, a hearing containing Bulgarian citizens for China for China, an enemy in accordance with the law of official secrets, “a threat to the national security of England in the event of a crime” contains a country that represents a country, “he said.

The Minister said that he meant “more evidence” from the government to continue to prosecute, but the evidence was not “the future”.

Mr. Parkinson added: “These evidence efforts have been made for months, but despite the fact that more witnesses have been made, none of them stated that China posed a threat to national security.”

Sunday Times previously reported that senior Whitehall officials came together to discuss the hearing in the early last month before the charges fell.

“The government said on Monday that the press 10,” the government kept evidence, witnesses withdrawn, or a witness restricted the ability to benefit from a certain evidence, “he said.

Since last year’s general elections, the Labor Party government has shown signs to re -adjust the ties between England and China, and conducts what Britain’s relationship with the country the cross “control”.

In October 2024, David Lammy became the only second secretary in the six years that visited China, and Beijing and London “have to find pragmatic solutions to complex challenges,” he said.

British National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell, one of the most senior consultants and political consultants of Sir Keir Starmer, visited the country earlier this year.

The journey in July was not announced by the British government, but when the Chinese government published the details of a meeting between Mr Powell and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang, it was opened to the public.

Beijing, Mr. Powell, “England’s stable, practical and long -term partnership to create a desire to develop dialogue and communication with China,” he said.