27 h. ago Pressure mounts on DPP Stephen Parkinson to explain China spy trial collapse

Two parliamentary inquiries will look into the abandoned trial.

Events

36 h. ago MI5 chief ‘frustrated’ by China spy case as No 10 defends Starmer’s approach

Sir Ken McCallum warned ‘Chinese state actors’ present a national security threat to the UK ‘every day’.

Politics

38 h. ago MI5 chief ‘frustrated’ at failure to put men accused of spying for China on trial

Ken McCallum, the domestic spy chief, says he will ‘never back off’ from confronting threats from BeijingUK politics live – latest updatesThe MI5 director general, Ken McCallum, has acknowledged his frustration at the failure to put on trial two Britons who had been accused of spying for China, in an apparent rebuke to prosecutors who dropped the high-profile case last month.The domestic spy chief insisted he would “never back off” from confronting threats from Beijing, which he said posed a national security threat “every day”, although the wider UK-China relationship was a matter for the government. Continue reading...

Events

44 h. ago China is a national security threat to the UK, spy case official warned

Labour prime minister Keir Starmer facing questions after witness statements provided for the trial of two men who allegedly spied for China also say government is ‘committed to pursuing a positive relationship’ with Beijing

Events

53 h. ago No 10 publishes crucial witness statements in collapsed China spy case

Keir Starmer ordered the release of witness statements provided for the trial of two men who allegedly spied for China

Politics

57 h. ago The Guardian view on the China spy trial: an opportunity for Labour to prove it understands the threat from Beijing | Editorial

Dispelling confusion about the collapsed case would build confidence that the government has a coherent policyNo single word describes the challenge that China poses for UK foreign policy. There is threat and opportunity; a requirement to engage and an imperative to be guarded. The Communist party in Beijing represses dissent and pursues its interests overseas with coercive nationalist determination. It is not a regime with which Britain can build a relationship based on common values.But China is also a superpower with near-monopoly control of some mineral resources and pre-eminence in important manufacturing supply chains. Trusting friendship is not an option; hostile rejection is unrealistic. It is not easy to manage relations through private diplomacy, let alone under public scrutiny. But Sir Keir Starmer’s government has looked especially awkward in its response to the collapse of a high-profile espionage case, involving the alleged transmission of secrets from inside parliamen...

Events

62 h. ago Starmer pledges to publish crucial evidence in collapsed China spy case

Sir Keir Starmer made his announcement in a statement to the Commons before tetchy exchanges with Kemi Badenoch on the China spy trial collapse scandal

Politics

3 d. ago Critical evidence that collapsed the China spy trial will be kept secret

Requests to release a key witness statement by the deputy national security adviser have been rejected after the Crown Prosecution Service said it would be 'inappropriate' outside of a courtroom.

Politics

3 d. ago Wriggling Yvette Cooper refuses to voice 'confidence' in deputy national security chief after China spying trial collapse as ministers are accused of 'scapegoating' official

The Foreign Secretary refused to say if Matthew Collins should remain in his post or if she had confidence in his ability, in the deepening row over how Beijing is handled by Labour .

Politics

4 d. ago Labour accused of making deputy national security adviser 'scapegoat' over collapse of China spying trial

Labour have blamed Jonathan Powell's deputy for the controversial collapse of the Chinese spies case.

Events

4 d. ago Speaker vents his fury at China spy trial collapse and attack on Parliament

Lindsay Hoyle has announced he is reviewing security after the China spy trial collapse and seeking advice on what more can be done

Politics

5 d. ago Starmer has 'full confidence' in Blairite national security chief Jonathan Powell despite mounting fury at China spying case shambles

Cabinet minister Bridget Phillipson insisted the PM is still behind the key adviser as MPs demand answers.

Events

6 d. ago Starmer faces Commons showdown as MPs set to grill him over collapse of adviser's China spy trial

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle is expected to grant an Urgent Question to the Conservatives on the issue when MPs return to Parliament this week.

Politics

7 d. ago Foreign Secretary refuses to say if she saw dossier branding China a ‘threat’

The document could have been key to the collapsed trial of two men accused of spying for China.

Events

8 d. ago Former top civil servant questions Starmer over China spy trial collapse

Simon Case said intelligence chiefs have described China as a threat for years

Politics

9 d. ago Collapse of China spy case shows ‘UK can be bullied’, says trial witness

Government failed to provide evidence China was a threat to national security

Politics

9 d. ago Kemi Badenoch accuses Keir Starmer of deliberately collapsing 'China spy' trial so Labour can 'suck up' to Beijing

The Tory leader lashed out amid claims that the Prime Minister's light touch with the Communist regime had handed it a free pass to commit espionage in the UK.

Politics

9 d. ago UK prosecutor says a spying case collapsed because the government wouldn't call China a threat

England's chief prosecutor says the trial of two British men accused of spying for China collapsed because the government refused to label China a national security threat

Events

1 week ago Government refusal to brand China a threat led to spy trial collapse – DPP

The case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry was dropped on September 15.

Politics

1 week ago Home secretary ‘very disappointed’ over collapse of China spy trial

Shabana Mahmood insisted there was no ministerial interference in the collapse of the case

Society