Starmer Seeks Clarity on China Spy Case Amid Rising Tensions

Keir Starmer, the leader of the UK Labour Party, is working to clarify the circumstances surrounding the collapse of an alleged Chinese spy case that has sparked significant controversy in Parliament. This comes as questions mount regarding whether national security advisers engaged in discussions about the case during private meetings.

During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Starmer announced that the government would release witness statements related to the spy charges against former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash and academic Christopher Berry. These documents were submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) under both the previous Conservative government and the current Labour administration. The key witness statement from deputy national security adviser Matthew Collins is dated December 2023, while two additional statements were provided to the CPS in February 2025 and August 2025.

Starmer revealed that he had not seen the witness statements until just before his comments in Parliament. He continued to criticise the previous government for failing to update the Official Secrets Act between 2021 and 2023, and for not officially designating China as a threat at the time of the alleged incidents. “Given the information contained, we will conduct a short process, but I want to make clear I intend to publish the witness statements in full,” he stated. He added, “Had the Conservatives been quicker in updating our legislation, a review that started in 2015, these individuals could have been prosecuted, and we would not be where we are.”

The Conservative opposition is pressing the government to release minutes from a meeting between national security adviser Jonathan Powell and deputy national security adviser Matthew Collins, where the spy case was allegedly discussed. Additionally, there are inquiries regarding whether Starmer sought explanations for the case’s collapse when informed by the CPS shortly before it became public.

A spokesperson for Downing Street emphasized that the government could not intervene in the spy case due to the independence of the CPS. The spokesperson reiterated that evidence had been provided through statements in February and August of this year. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch accused the Prime Minister of “more obfuscation,” claiming that the situation “stinks of a cover-up.” Badenoch asserted, “He can’t tell us why his government did not provide evidence that China was a threat. I suspect those statements won’t prove it either. He’s blaming his civil servants. He’s blaming the media.”

Before a CPS statement on Tuesday evening confirmed that the witness statements could be made public, the Prime Minister’s office noted that prosecutors had advised against discussing witness evidence publicly, citing the expectation of confidentiality held by witnesses. The spokesperson stated, “The CPS had also advised that to do so, or to do so in some cases but not in others, would likely affect the confidence of witnesses in coming forward and hamper the interests of justice.”

Following the CPS’s approval for publication, the government intends to release the three statements from Collins after a brief review process, ensuring the fullest version possible is available.

Alicia Kearns, the former chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a target of the alleged spying, criticized Starmer for not addressing broader concerns regarding discussions among security advisers. In a post on X, she remarked, “Obviously [security advisers] wouldn’t have gone through each individual piece of evidence. [The] question is whether there was a political steer.”

A spokesperson for No 10 also indicated that there was a wider array of evidence beyond the witness statements scheduled for release, further complicating the narrative surrounding this ongoing controversy.