Keir Starmer Is Under Fire After The Trial Of 2 Men Accused Of Spying For China Collapsed. Here's Why

Keir Starmer arrives at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.Keir Starmer is under pressure to explain the government’s role in the collapse of a case against two British men accused of spying for China.Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry found out last month that they would no longer face trial under the Official Secrets Act.Critics have accused the government of trying to obstruct the case to avoid upsetting China – something vehemently denied by No.10.The row has now led to an extraordinary war of words between the prime minister and Stephen Parkinson, one of his successors as Director of Public Prosecutions.Here’s what you need to know.How did it all start?Cash and Berry were charged with collecting and communicating information which could be “useful to an enemy” between December 2021 and February 2023. They denied all the accusations.The pair had been due to stand trial at the Old Bailey this month, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) unexpectedly announced last week that the case would not be proceeding.Speaking outside the Old Bailey, Cash said he was “relieved that justice has been served”.What was the reaction?Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle led the condemnation of the decision, telling MPs: “I believe this leaves the door open to foreign actors trying to spy on the House.“This door must be closed hard. We must pursue all avenues to ensure the protection of members and people that work within the House of Commons. It will not be tolerated.”He said the decision not to prosecute the men gave Beijing “licence to operate” within Parliament, after the pair were alleged to have targeted the China Research Group of MPs critical of President Xi’s regime.What’s happened now? In an extraordinary development, Stephen Parkinson revealed that his team had tried “over many months” to get the evidence it needed against the two alleged spies, but it had not been forthcoming from the government.Securing a conviction would have required proving China was an “enemy” as stated in the Official Secrets Act 1911.In a letter to the chairs of the Commons justice and home affairs committees, Parkinson said: “It was considered that further evidence should be obtained.“Efforts to obtain that evidence were made over many months, but notwithstanding the fact that further witness statements were provided, none of these stated that at the time of the offence China represented a threat to national security, and by late August 2025 it was realised that this evidence would not be forthcoming.“When this became apparent, the case could not proceed.”He added that a High Court judgment in a separate Russian spying case last year ruled that an “enemy” must be a country which represents a threat to the national security of the UK “at the time of the offence”.Keir Starmer has been keen to improve relations with China.How has the government responded?Speaking to journalists as he travelled with a trade delegation to India, Starmer rejected the suggestion that his government had sabotaged the prosecution.He said: “As a prosecutor, I know that if you’re going to prosecute a case like this, it is what the situation was at the time when the offence was committed that matters.“You can’t change the situation afterwards and then prosecute people on the basis of a changed situation.”He insisted that as the alleged offences took place under the previous Conservative government, that administration’s approach to China had to be considered in courtroom evidence.The Tories at the time – including current leader, Kemi Badenoch – declined to describe China as a threat.Starmer said: “Therefore statements were drawn up at the time according to the then-government policy, and they haven’t been changed in relation to it, that was the position then.“I might just add, nor could the position change, because it was the designation at the time that matters. You can’t prosecute someone two years later in relation to a designation that wasn’t in place at the time.”What happens now?Questions about the government’s conduct over the trial will not go away.In particular, the role played by Jonathan Powell, the PM’s national security adviser, will come under intense scrutiny.Alicia Kearns, the shadow national security minister, said: “For our own government to refuse to co-operate with the CPS is without doubt constitutionally improper.“Labour has managed to undermine our law enforcement, the security services and our prosecutors whilst sending a message to China they won’t protect our democracy.”At this point, the biggest threat to our national security is this craven Government’s refusal to do what’s necessary to protect our country. pic.twitter.com/dBz6SgStAp— Alicia Kearns MP (@aliciakearns) October 8, 2025Related...Blow For Keir Starmer As China Slams His Trade Deal With Donald TrumpDowning Street Hits Back At Trump Tariff Chief's Claim UK Is China's 'Compliant Servant'China Is A Clear And Urgent Threat To The UK, Labour MPs Warn

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