Labour under pressure to release China spy case evidence

"Iain WatsonPolitical correspondent and Chris MasonPolitical editor AFP/Getty Images The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are demanding the Labour government publish the evidence it submitted in the now-collapsed case against two people accused of spying for China. It follows another public intervention from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which has made clear it would not stand in the way if ministers chose to put their evidence in the public domain. On Tuesday, senior government figures had suggested that the CPS had told them to do so would be "inappropriate"."

"Prosecutors unexpectedly dropped the case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry last month, prompting criticism from ministers and MPs. Both men deny the allegations. The director of public prosecutions said the case collapsed because evidence could not obtained from the government referring to China as a national security threat. This row within a row relates to the three witness statements submitted by Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Collins, on whether China had been regarded as a threat at the time of the alleged offences under the previous Conservative government. The CPS has now said: "The statements were provided to us for the purpose of criminal proceedings which are now over. "The material contained in them is not ours, and it is a matter for the government, independently of the CPS, to consider whether or not to make that material public.""

Prosecutors dropped charges against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, who were accused under the Official Secrets Act of gathering and providing information prejudicial to state safety between December 2021 and February 2023. Both defendants deny the allegations. The director of public prosecutions attributed the collapse to an inability to obtain evidence from the government showing China was regarded as a national security threat at the time. Dispute centers on three witness statements by Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Collins about the threat assessment. The CPS stated the witness material was provided for criminal proceedings and that the government must decide on public release.

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