No10 and CPS 'at war' over China spying case as prosecutors deny blocking release of evidence about Beijing 'threat' that caused collapse
Downing Street and the Crown Prosecution Service are at war today over the release of evidence from a China spying case that collapsed, amid claims of ministerial interference.
Prosecutors last night denied suggestions from No10 that they blocked the release of a witness statement made by a senior security official for the trial of Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and teacher Christopher Berry.
Sources had suggested the CPS told Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormold that publishing the document prepared by deputy national security adviser Matthew Collins would be 'inappropriate'.
Treasury Chief Secretary James Murray appeared to admit this morning that ministers had been outwitted, telling Times Radio: 'We'll be looking at what the options are and we'll be providing an update in due course.'
Sir Keir Starmer will face a Commons grilling at noon in the first Prime Minister's Questions for a month over his administration's handling of the collapsed case
Mr Berry and Mr Cash were accused of passing secrets to China, but charges against them were dropped last month. Both deny any wrongdoing.
The Liberal Democrats urged the Government to now publish Mr Collins' witness statement.
The party's foreign affairs spokesperson Calum Miller said: 'If ministers have nothing to hide they have nothing to fear.
Sir Keir Starmer will face a Commons grilling at noon in the first Prime Minister's Questions for a month over his administration's handling of the collapsed case
CPS prosecutors led by DPP Stephen Parkinson (pictured) last night denied suggestions from No10 that they blocked the release of a witness statement
'Failure to come clean will just confirm people's suspicions of a cover-up and that ministers are more worried about cosying up to China than protecting our national security.'
Mr Wormald is understood to have been prepared to publish a Government witness statement central to the withdrawal of espionage charges against the men.
Sources had claimed the Cabinet Secretary – the country's most senior civil servant – had gone to the CPS to discuss the publication of the witness statement by Matthew Collins, the deputy national security adviser.
It was that statement the CPS deemed did not meet the threshold for proceeding with the trial of the two alleged spies because it did not show China posed a threat to national security at the time the alleged offences occurred.
Prosecutors concluded during their meeting with Civil Service chief Mr Wormald that publishing the evidence outside of a courtroom would be 'inappropriate', senior sources said.
But a CPS spokesperson denied the Government's claims.
'The statements were provided to us for the purpose of criminal proceedings which are now over,' they said.
The spokesperson added: '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.'
Sir Keir has heaped praise on deputy national security adviser Mr Collins, amid accusations he was being thrown under the bus for providing the Government's evidence in the case.
According to a readout, Sir Keir told his Cabinet on Tuesday Mr Collins is a 'highly respected securocrat' who made 'every effort' to support the case in court.
However, Mr Collins was constrained by the 'policy position of the government at the time of the offence', the Prime Minister's official spokesman added.
Sir Keir has denied that the Labour Government was responsible for the decision to drop the charges against Mr Cash and Mr Berry, and blamed the Conservatives' approach to China in power.
The Prime Minister said the last Tory government 'declined to describe China either as an enemy or infer that by describing it as a current threat to national security'.
