Keir Starmer is dealing with recent questions over the China spying case after a number of newly launched key witness statements raised additional issues about nationwide safety.
Late on Wednesday night, three witness statements from the Deputy Nationwide Safety Adviser, Matthew Collins, had been posted on the UK government web site, revealing new insights into the dimensions of Chinese language espionage within the UK, in addition to the continued investigation.
The case in query pertains to Christopher Money and Christopher Berry, two suspected spies accused of allegedly passing delicate information to Chinese language intelligence.
Money, the previous director of the China Analysis Group think-tank, and Berry, a researcher for an MP, had been charged however proceed to disclaim any wrongdoing.
In a shock flip of occasions, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) then dropped the costs towards Money and Berry only one month earlier than they had been as a consequence of stand trial.
Ministers at the moment are calling for the CPS to elucidate why the China spying case was dropped so abruptly, with Starmer anticipated to face questions within the Commons as we speak over the three newly-released witness statements.
The primary doc in query was filed when the Conservatives had been in energy in 2023, with subsequent statements submitted in 2025 beneath the Labour authorities.
Listed here are the most important revelations inside them.
1. “Chinese language Intelligence Providers… conduct giant scale espionage operations towards the UK”
One of many greatest takeaways is that officers gave the impression to be conscious that China is spying on the UK, and its espionage capabilities had been a major concern.
Throughout the three statements, Collins makes a number of references to China’s talents to spy on the UK – however doesn’t explicitly state this can be a menace to nationwide safety.
One of many key statements is revealed within the 2023 report that claims: “The Chinese language Intelligence Providers are extremely succesful and conduct giant scale espionage operations towards the UK.” Later, Collins says, “China is the most important state-based menace to the UK’s financial safety.”
At one level, he additionally mentions that their actions included “cultivating contacts to control opinion in China’s favour.”
In response, the report additionally states: “We are going to enhance our nationwide safety protections the place Chinese language State (CCP) actions pose a menace to our folks, prosperity and safety.”
2. Money and Berry’s alleged behaviour was dangerous to UK safety
Within the 2023 report, Collins offers detailed details about the alleged sharing of data between Money and Berry and Chinese language intelligence.
It included allegedly passing on details about Tom Tugendhat, Rishi Sunak, James Cleverly, and Boris Johnson and included numerous matters associated to the workings of the UK authorities and knowledge that might profit China.
Within the witness report, Collins expresses the assumption that the actions the boys are accused of committing could possibly be detrimental to UK nationwide pursuits.
He says: “It’s my evaluation that the suspects’ alleged actions had been prejudicial to the security or pursuits of the UK, and the knowledge and materials handed could be immediately or not directly helpful to the Chinese language state.”
3. China’s intelligence gathering has been “persistent and more and more extra covert”
The witness assertion additionally seems to counsel that China’s espionage capabilities had been turning into extra prevalent and complex.
It reads: “These espionage operations have been persistent and more and more extra covert to keep away from detection.”
It could possibly be interpreted that this behaviour was turning into extra covert to keep away from detection by the UK counter-intelligence, suggesting that such spying was designed to proceed.
4. “The UK Authorities is dedicated to pursuing a optimistic relationship”
Regardless of information of China allegedly spying on the UK, officers nonetheless sought a optimistic relationship.
Whereas Collins acknowledged that “giant scale espionage operations” had been seemingly occurring, optimistic relations with Beijing had been additionally a diplomatic precedence none the much less.
Within the third report from early 2025, Collins says: “It will be significant for me to emphasize. nevertheless, that the UK Authorities is dedicated to pursuing a optimistic relationship with China to strengthen understanding, cooperation and stability.”
5. Plan to “co-operate”
Though Keir Starmer has pointed the blame for the trial’s collapse on earlier authorities coverage, Collins seems to make a reference to present authorities coverage in his third witness assertion submitted in August 2025.
That is fascinating because it raises questions over whether or not Labour has additionally formed the route of the case.
Within the assertion, Collins claims that the federal government recognized “a sample of malicious cyber exercise by Chinese language state-affiliated organisations,” and different reconnaissance exercise in March 2024.
Nonetheless, in his ultimate paragraph, Collins says: “The federal government’s place is that we are going to co-operate the place we will; compete the place we have to; and problem the place we should, together with on problems with nationwide safety.”
