London, October 9(HS): The collapse of a high-profile espionage case involving two men accused of spying for China has stirred political backlash in Britain, with critics accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government of bowing to Beijing’s interests.
The trial, set to begin in London this month, was abruptly dropped after prosecutors failed to prove China was legally defined as an “enemy” under the UK’s century-old Official Secrets Act. The legal setback followed a ruling by the Court of Appeal that limited the definition of “enemy” to nations posing an active threat to British national security — a status not applied to China at the time of the alleged offenses between December 2021 and February 2023.
During that period, the Conservative-led government classified China as a “systemic competitor” and later an “epoch-defining challenge,” but not as an adversary.
Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson told lawmakers that prosecutors had spent months seeking government statements to meet the revised legal threshold but received none explicitly identifying China as a security threat.
“When this became apparent, the case could not proceed,” he said.The defendants, Christopher Cash, a parliamentary researcher for Conservative MP Alicia Kearns, and Christopher Berry, a teacher, were charged under the 1911 Act with supplying information “prejudicial to the safety and interests” of Britain.
Both men denied the allegations.MP Alicia Kearns accused Starmer’s administration of undermining the prosecution to “appease Beijing,” alleging political caution to protect trade relations.
Starmer, however, rejected claims of interference, stating that the case’s collapse was “procedural” and that Britain could not “retroactively apply a security designation that did not exist at the time.”
The controversy highlights Britain’s continuing struggle to balance economic cooperation with China against growing concerns over espionage and cyber threats. The issue has partly been resolved under the National Security Act (2023), which replaced the older law, allowing prosecutions for activities linked to any “foreign power,” not only an “enemy” nation.
Security officials have grown increasingly wary of Beijing’s activities in Britain. MI5 chief Ken McCallum recently identified China among “state threats” in his annual threat assessment.
Despite this, Starmer’s government has continued efforts to stabilise diplomatic ties, with the Labour Party vowing to “cooperate where it can, compete where it must, and challenge where it should.”
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
