China spy trial collapse blamed on government refusing to brand Beijing a threat
No 10 denies government to blame for collapse of China spy case
- The Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, has attributed the collapse of a high-profile spying case against two men accused of working for China to the government's refusal to officially designate Beijing as a national security threat.
- The case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, dropped on 15 September, required prosecutors to prove the defendants were acting for an 'enemy' under the Official Secrets Act 1911.
- That was a designation the government reportedly declined to provide.
- Mr Parkinson said that despite “many months” of effort, the necessary evidence to establish China as a threat at the time of the alleged offences was not forthcoming, leading to the case's termination.
- Number 10 and government ministers have denied responsibility for the collapse, with Sir Keir Starmer saying the decision to brand China a threat would have had to have been taken under the previous Conservative administration.