The White House has warned Sir Keir Starmer that the failure to prosecute two alleged Chinese spies — Chris Cash and Christopher Berry — risks undermining the special relationship and could threaten intelligence sharing between Britain and the US.
Trump is understood to be growing concerned about the UK’s reliability after charges were dropped against two Britons accused of spying for Beijing.
“The United States has been warning allies about the Chinese threat to our combined national security since President Trump first came into office in 2017. The US government exercises extreme caution in sharing information with foreign governments subject to adversarial coercion and influence. We are especially careful in jurisdictions where our adversaries can act with impunity.”
The trial of Cash and Berry had been due to start at Woolwich crown court but the case collapsed days after Powell told a top secret briefing of Whitehall officials that Beijing would not be described as an “enemy” in the trial, a requirement of the Official Secrets Act.
The director of public prosecutions accused the government of failing to provide crucial evidence despite “many months” of requests. Starmer claimed officials could never have provided such evidence as China had not been declared a threat to national security by the previous Conservative government when the alleged activity took place. It has since emerged that MI5, MI6 and the government had all designated it as such during the requisite period.
An emergency debate is expected in the Commons as soon as Mon Oct 13 as pressure grows on the prime minister and Powell. The scandal is “likely to get worse” and there has been internal discussions about whether Powell should go.
One minister vividly recalls the moment they were told the Chinese espionage case was about to collapse. It was during a telephone call from a cabinet minister at 9.30pm about 6 weeks ago.
“The accusation was clear that Jonathan Powell in cahoots with the Treasury had been driving through the decision. The explicit suggestion was that the case had to be dropped to appease China, otherwise there would be no further investment from Beijing.” Word spread quickly among other ministers furious with the decision to drop the charges.
Although it is not known specifically what sort of lobbying activities the Treasury is being accused of, it was reported last week that it had urged Powell not to publish the Foreign Office’s China audit, an in-depth appraisal of the government’s relationship with Beijing, amid fears it could damage trade links. One minister said: “If Powell and Rachel Reeves tell Keir [Starmer] to do something, he does it.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch: “The government deliberately collapsed the China spy case and then tried to cover it up. In doing so they have not only misled the public and seemingly parliament as well, but put our relationship with our closest ally in danger. This weak prime minister is so desperate to appease China that he is happy to undermine our position on the global stage and damage our national security. Starmer must come before parliament immediately and come clean about his government’s actions, and tell us how he will fix this disaster.”
Sir Richard Dearlove, head of MI6 between 1999 and 2004, said there were questions about Powell’s suitability for his role as security adviser. “If [Powell’s] views are such that we are equivocal about China’s activities strategically, for me, that does raise a question about his suitability for the post.”
“If the government did give in to Chinese pressure and bullying, that is completely unspeakable.”
The Liberal Democrats are calling for a debate on Oct 13 and the Tories, who are exploring whether criminal charges could be brought against the government for perverting the course of justice, or material cooperation with a foreign state under the new National Security Act, are also pushing for one.
thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar
Quote
Byron Wan
@Byron_Wan
Jonathan Powell, 
PM Sir Keir Starmer’s national security adviser, suppressed a major Whitehall investigation into Chinese spying after lobbying from the Treasury.
Powell decided in June that the Government would not publish details about espionage from the Foreign Office’s x.com/byron_wan/stat…
Show more PM Sir Keir Starmer’s national security adviser, suppressed a major Whitehall investigation into Chinese spying after lobbying from the Treasury.
Powell decided in June that the Government would not publish details about espionage from the Foreign Office’s x.com/byron_wan/stat…