MI5 chief 'frustrated' by Chinese spy case fiasco

EMBASSY DECISION POSTPONED

- DAVID LYNCH, HELEN CORBETT AND DAVID HUGHES Press Association reporters

THE head of MI5 has admitted he was “frustrated” by the collapse of the Chinese spying case, after Downing Street insisted it would have been “absurd” for the Prime Minister to intervene and stop its withdrawal.

Sir Ken McCallum warned “Chinese state actors” present a national security threat to the UK “every day’, with the security services having carried out an operation against a threat from Beijing within the past week.

No 10 meanwhile insisted that Sir Keir Starmer could not have intervened in the case once the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) notified him it would be withdrawn, for fear of the UK Government interfering with the course of justice.

A decision on whether to approve China's new “super-embassy” in central London has meanwhile been postponed as the row about the plans continues.

The CPS dropped the case against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry in September after deeming the evidence did not show China was a threat to national security.

Both men, who deny wrongdoing, had been accused of passing secrets to China.

MI5 director general Sir Ken was asked if he was frustrated by the collapse of the case as he gave a speech at the agency's London headquarters.