Sunak was only politician to see witness statement in collapsed China spy case row

Rishi Sunak was the only politician to see a witness statement by the deputy national security adviser at the centre of a controversy about the collapse of a case against two British men accused of spying for China.

- Peter Walker and Aletha Adu

According to letters sent to the joint committee on the national security strategy, the statement from Matthew Collins in December 2023, which was seen by the then prime minister and his advisers, did not describe China as an enemy, another key element of the case.

The letters also set out that by this point, the start of the prosecution process, both police and prosecutors were told that Collins would not call China an enemy as this was not the policy of the then-Conservative government.

The case against the men, Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, was dropped in September after prosecutors concluded that a conviction under the Official Secrets Act was not realistic without government evidence China posed a threat to the UK's national security. Both Cash and Berry have consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The Conservatives have challenged Keir Starmer repeatedly about what he and his advisers knew about the case, and whether the prime minister or others intervened so as to avoid a potential row with China.