Chinese Spy Trial Collapse: 5 Key Questions As Espionage Row Rumbles On

Keir Starmer leaving 10 Downing Street on Wednesday.Keir Starmer’s government took the unusual step last night of publishing key evidence submitted to an espionage trial which dramatically collapsed.Three witness statements provided by deputy national security adviser Matt Collins as part of the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) case against two men accused of spying for China were made public.The men, Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, have always denied the allegations.Critics have accused the government of deliberately sabotaging the case to avoid upsetting China as ministers try to improve relations with Beijing.The prime minister promised to release Collins’ witness statements as he clashed in the Commons with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.But if he thought that doing so would draw a line under the row he was mistaken, as they threw up even more questions about what went on.Here, HuffPost UK looks at where we are now as the row rumbles on.What did the documents reveal?In his first witness statement in 2023, when the Tories were still in power, Matt Collins said the Chinese authorities were carrying out “large scale espionage” against the UK.A second statement in February this year described China as “the biggest state-based threat to the UK’s economic security”.However, in that statement, and another in August, Collins stressed that the UK was “committed to pursuing a positive economic relationship with China”.Why didn’t the CPS go ahead with the trial?Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, said the case collapsed because evidence could not be obtained from the government referring to China as a national security threat.However, the witness statements show that Collins did describe China as a “threat” on several occasions.Many MPs are asking why the CPS didn’t opt to still go to trial and let a jury decide whether or not Cash and Berry were guilty.Does Starmer’s story stack up?The prime minister Starmer has repeatedly insisted his government’s hands were tied because the alleged offences took place when the Conservatives were still in power.That meant, the PM says, that the Tories’ approach to China – rather than Labour’s – was the deciding factor on whether the case against the two men was strong enough to go to trial.However, Collins’ final witness statement quotes directly from Labour’s election manifesto on how the party would deal with China in government.He said: “The government’s position is that we will co-operate where we can; compete where we need to; and challenge where we must, including on issues of national security.”Kemi Badenoch said on Thursday: “Did an official, adviser or minister suggest that this should be included?”Did Matt Collins really act alone?At prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Starmer insisted that the deputy national security adviser did not confer with anyone else when deciding what evidence to provide to the CPS.Badenoch asked the PM: “Is the government seriously saying that only one man, the deputy national security adviser, had anything to do with this failure?”Starmer replied: “Yes.”But he went on to say: “So far as the position under this government is concerned – no minister or special adviser is involved, and I will double check this – this is important – after the charging decision, the prosecution were very careful about who would then see the witness evidence.”Crists have said that if it turns out Collins did discuss the case with other government officials, the PM will have misled the Commons and could even be forced to resign.Where does the story go from here?The Tories have demanded the release of the minutes of all government meetings relating to the case in an attempt to expose any holes there may be in Starmer’s position.Badenoch said: “The government’s story is falling apart under scrutiny, and the only thing that is clear is that the prime minister knew the spy case was collapsing but did not act. “It’s time for Keir Starmer to come clean and publish all the China files so we can get to the bottom of this mess. He clearly doesn’t have the backbone to stand up to Beijing”. The Lib Dems, meanwhile, want a “a statutory public inquiry to get to the bottom of this whole fiasco”.Weeks on from the collapse of the spy trial, it is clear the story is not going away any time soon.Related...Lisa Nandy Accuses Richard Holden Of 'Shouting Like A Man In A Pub' Over China Spy Row'She's Not A Lawyer Or A Leader': Starmer Roasts Badenoch Over China Spy RowKeir Starmer Is Under Fire After The Trial Of 2 Men Accused Of Spying For China Collapsed. Here's Why

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