The UK government has released three key witness statements that were central to the now-collapsed case against two men accused of spying for China — Christopher Cash
and Christopher Berry.
Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Collins warned in 2023 that China was conducting “large-scale espionage” operations against the UK. In later statements, he said Beijing’s intelligence activities posed a serious threat to Britain’s “economic prosperity and resilience,” though he also stressed the importance of maintaining positive trade relations with China.
The case against Cash and Berry — both of whom deny the charges — was dropped last month after prosecutors said they could not obtain sufficient government evidence officially describing China as a “national security threat” at the time of the alleged offences.
Downing Street published all three of Collins’ statements on Wednesday night amid growing political pressure and accusations of a “cover-up” from opposition leader Kemi Badenoch.
What the witness statements revealed
December 2023: Collins described China’s intelligence services as “highly capable” and said they were engaged in widespread espionage against the UK and its allies.
February 2025: He called China an “authoritarian state” that posed the “biggest state-based threat to the UK’s economic security,” while also acknowledging that both countries benefit from trade and investment.
August 2025: Collins reiterated that Chinese espionage operations threaten Britain’s economy and democratic institutions, citing a cyberattack on the UK Electoral Commission between 2021 and 2023.
Despite the warnings, his later statements emphasized that the UK government remained “committed to pursuing a positive economic relationship with China.”
A clerical error initially dated one of the statements as February 2024, though officials have since clarified it was signed in February 2025 under the new Labour government.
Details of the allegations
In his 2023 statement, Collins referred to intelligence assessments suggesting that the Chinese state had recruited Berry as an agent and directed him to use his connections with Cash, who worked as a parliamentary researcher and was linked to the Conservative Party’s China Research Group (CRG).
Collins said Berry met with a senior Chinese Communist Party official in July 2022 and later informed Cash, who reportedly joked, “You’re in spy territory now.”
Authorities also alleged that information about UK politicians — including Tom Tugendhat and Jeremy Hunt — was shared with an individual believed to be a Chinese agent known as “Alex.”
The legal collapse
Cash and Berry were charged under the Official Secrets Act in April 2024, accused of passing information “prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state” between December 2021 and February 2023.
However, prosecutors said a recent legal precedent required the UK government to have officially labelled China a “threat to national security” at the time of the alleged spying. Without that, the charges could not stand.
Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve called the collapse “utterly mystifying,” saying the totality of Collins’ statements clearly indicated that China was a threat, even if that exact phrase wasn’t used.
Political fallout
The Conservatives argue the case fell apart because the Labour government didn’t want to risk damaging relations with Beijing. Labour ministers, however, insist the case was based on events that occurred under the previous Conservative government — and that only their official stance on China could have been used in court.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said no minister or adviser from his government had any role in providing or withholding evidence.
Following the release of the documents, a Conservative spokesperson said there were “still many unanswered questions about this scandal,” including the involvement of National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell. Photo by [2], Wikimedia commons.