In the wake of the collapsed UK-China spy trial, accused men Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry expressed relief and frustration after charges were dropped on September 15, 2025, amid a political storm over national security.
Now, Prime Minister Starmer hopes to put an end all accusations, and release the witness statements.
During Prime Minister’s Questions today [15th October] Sir Keir Starmer committed to releasing key witness statements amid accusations of a cover-up.
What is the China spy case?
The case in question centres around two British men: 29-year-old Christopher Cash and 32-year-old Christopher Berry.
Cash, a former parliamentary researcher and Berry, a teacher, were both charged with espionage offences under the century-old Official Secrets Act. Cash reportedly had close ties to Tory MPs Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kearns. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) alleged that they provided the Chinese state with sensitive information.
Last month, following their arrest in 2023 and charges in 2024, the case fell apart. Since its collapse, the case has sparked a bitter blame game between the government and the opposition.
Prosecutors cited a “lack of evidence” to prove that the Chinese state posed a threat to British national security as their reason for dropping the charges.
Starmer’s recent announcement
In the House of Commons today, Starmer said: “The government will publish the witness statement it submitted as part of the China spy case. I am going to disclose it.”
He said so while emphasising the opposition’s claims of cover-up were a “red herring.”
He continued: “If the Conservatives had acted more quickly in updating our legislation, this wouldn’t have happened.”
The Opposition’s response
Opposition and Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, challenged the PM and said that his government was: “Too weak to stand up to Beijing on a crucial matter of national security.”
She also accused them of seeking to “appease China.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip demanded transparency and stated: “The government should urgently release Matt Collins’s witness statements and the correspondence related to them in the interest of full transparency.”
Philip also questioned what the Labour government wanted to “hide.”
Starmer defended the government’s position and highlighted inconsistencies in the Tories’ previous stances.
Former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that it is “impossible, impractical, and most importantly unwise” to sum up China as a threat in a single word. In 2023, Badenoch said, “We should certainly not be describing China as a foe.”
Liberal Democrats’ foreign affairs spokesperson Callum Miller also echoed support for the release of the files. He said: “If ministers have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear. Failure to come clean will only confirm public suspicions of a cover-up and that ministers are more concerned about cosying up to China than protecting our national security.”
What happens next?
Although prosecutors initially said it would be “inappropriate” to release such files to the public, this was dismissed as insufficient in a court of law.
Later, they released a statement, saying: “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 up to the government, independently of the CPS, to decide whether to make that material public.”
China’s embassy in London have dismissed all allegations. They instead have urged “certain individuals in the UK to stop this kind of self-staged anti-China political farce.”
Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove expressed his concerns around the situation, stating: “I can list the reasons why China is a threat: hostile cyber activity, crucial support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, and spying on Parliament.”
Cash provided a limited public reaction immediately after charges were dropped on September 15, 2025, expressing relief but highlighting the personal toll. Berry has not issued direct public quotes, with his lawyer instead voicing frustration over the lack of explanation for the case’s collapse.
Featured image via House of Commons / Flickr.
