Tories to demand release of documents in collapsed China spying case

The Conservatives will continue pressuring the Government over the collapse of the Chinese spying trial with a vote in Parliament on Tuesday.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp is set to use a Commons debate to call for the release of Government documents related to the trial as he seeks to blame Sir Keir Starmer for its collapse.

The Tories have claimed that the Government “sabotaged” the case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, which was withdrawn last month after the Crown Prosecution Service said it did not have the evidence to secure a conviction.

Mr Berry and Mr Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, deny wrongdoing.

The Government denies deliberately collapsing the case, saying ministers and special advisers had no role in preparing witness statements from deputy national security adviser Matt Collins.

On Tuesday, the Conservatives will use an opposition day debate to hold a vote demanding the release of correspondence relating to the case, which the party has dubbed “the China files”.

Mr Philp vowed not to stop “until the truth is out”, saying: “The collapse of the China spy case is a disaster that has put Britain’s national security at risk. And it is a disaster made in Downing Street.

“We all know Starmer is too weak to stand up to Beijing, and it’s no coincidence the case fell apart on his watch.”

The Tories are also demanding the release of minutes of a meeting involving national security adviser Jonathan Powell at which, they say, the prosecution of the two alleged spies was discussed.

On Monday, Mr Collins and Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald told a parliamentary committee the meeting on September 1 had not discussed the evidence in the case, but had focused on how to handle “different scenarios” in Britain’s relationship with China.

Mr Collins said there had been “at least four lawyers in the room who ensured that there was no discussion about the evidence that was going forward in the case”.

Earlier, he had told Parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy that he had not discussed his evidence with any ministers or special advisers after the two men were charged in April 2024.

He also said he believed he had provided enough evidence to support their prosecution and was “surprised” to learn the case was being dropped last month.

Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson told the same committee that witness statements provided by Mr Collins had been insufficient as they did not describe China as a threat to national security in general terms, although they did refer to “a range of threats”.

Lord Richard Hermer, the Attorney General, and Darren Jones, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, are due to give evidence to the committee on Wednesday.