The China spy case has exploded into one of the most politically delicate national security sagas in years.
The course of the espionage trials of Christopher Cash and Christoph Berry has left Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his government in a raging storm.
At issue in the dispute are declarations from Matthew Collins, the Deputy National Security Adviser.
The statements lay bare the scale of claimed Chinese intelligence activities, as well as the fragility of Britain’s century-old legal architecture.
What started as a criminal prosecution has become a political and diplomatic showdown between the Chinese government, Westminster, and Britain’s intelligence apparatus.
China spy case background: Espionage allegations and arrests
The China spy case started in 2023 with the arrests of Cash and Berry by counter-espionage officers.
Both were later charged in April 2024 under the Official Secrets Act 1911 – a piece of pre–First World War legislation normally brought to bear only for state security prosecutions.
Previously, Cash had worked as a parliamentary researcher to Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kearns, two senior Conservative MPs with an interest in foreign policy.
Berry, an educator who worked in China, was charged with tapping his professional and personal contacts for information.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), they transmitted politically sensitive information to Chinese intelligence.
A single message came to symbolize the case. Along the way, with Berry on the back of his motorcycle, Cash said to him, “You’re in spy country now. Investigators said that was a sign of an understanding of the risks.
The arrests came at a moment of escalating anxiety over espionage and cyber activity associated with China. Already, state-backed hacking, industrial espionage, and political influence operations were warned about by intelligence agencies.
The China spy case and witness statements reveal intelligence threats
Three affidavits by Matthew Collins would later be crucial.
In a first statement in December 2023, Collins laid out the UK government’s concerns over Beijing’s activities but failed to use the formal language necessary under the law.
After the Labour government was finally formed in February 2025, Collins called China “the largest state-based threat to our country’s economic security.”
And in his August 2025 comments, Collins described China’s intelligence services as highly capable, also stating that these carry out large-scale espionage operations against the UK to further the interests of the Chinese state and to prejudice the interests and security of the UK“
It cited the hacking of the UK Electoral Commission, “online reconnaissance activity” against MPs in 2021, and other intelligence threats.
This was language that the prosecutors were pretty close to needing to make their case at law, but timing and legal interpretation had become crucial.
China spy case collapse: Legal and security implications
The China spy case has collapsed, CPS announces after evidence just falls short of its threshold curtain-raising appearance. The CPS had announced the collapse of the China spy case after ruling that although there was enough evidence to prosecute David Miranda, it only ‘just fell short’ of the necessary threshold.
Stephen Parkinson, the Director of Public Prosecutions, told MPs that evidence was “5% short of what would have been required” for a prosecution to be launched.
A fundamental problem was that, at the time of the alleged crimes (2021-2023), the government had yet to officially declare China a national security threat.
This legal lacuna meant that it was already not possible to obtain a conviction under the Official Secrets Act.
The case also illustrated the antiquated nature of the 1911 law, which mandates that prosecutors demonstrate that a foreign state is an “enemy” or poses a threat to national security.
Security officials warned this left Britain vulnerable to 21st-century state espionage with no legal workaround. Read another article on Starmer’s renewal call
China spy case fuels political clash between Labour and Conservatives
The prosecution’s case fell apart, setting off a fierce political fight.
At PMQs on 15 October, Keir Starmer promised to publish the witness statements.
He discounted as a “red herring” opposition allegations of a cover-up.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party chairwoman, accused the government of being “too weak to stand up to Beijing.”
She said Labour’s position was driven by a desire to kowtow to China, rather than doing the right thing from a national security perspective.
Chris Philip, the Shadow Home Secretary, demanded full transparency and for all witness statements and correspondence to be published.
Starmer responded forcefully. Speaking then, he suggested that the Conservatives had not done enough to update the law when in power. Had it been, he said, prosecutors might have been able to go ahead.
China spy case and diplomatic fallout with Beijing
There have been serious diplomatic repercussions from the China spy case.
The Chinese Embassy in London referred to the allegations as “a self-staged anti-China political farce.”
The espionage allegations were made up, and UK politicians should quit fuelling hostility, officials said.
The reaction illustrated the depth of Britain’s struggle in balancing national security considerations against its economic ties with China.
China is a significant trading partner and major player in global supply chains.”
A tough line threatens economic turmoil, but too soft an approach invites political criticism at home.
China spy case highlights evolving national security threat
Security officials have been viewing the China spy case through a broader threat lens.
Ex-MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove issued a warning over Beijing’s threatening cyber activity, its backing for Moscow’s war in Ukraine, and spying on Parliament.
Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, is likely to use his annual national security update to sound new alarm bells around Chinese intelligence activities.
In Whitehall, insiders have shown their despair at not getting a single conviction despite years of gathering evidence.
China spy case reveals tensions over transparency and security
Followers and manipulations: Transparency has also been a key focus in the China case.
Opposition leaders, including the shadow foreign secretary, James Cleverly, said that to describe China as a “foe” was oversimplifying a complex relationship.
Kemi Badenoch, who in 2023 had resisted calling China a direct threat, was accused of inconsistency.
Callum Miller, the Liberal Democrats’ foreign affairs spokesman, said: “If ministers have nothing to hide, they should have no reason to fear.
The pressure for transparency is now intensifying, as the public blows up in response to squirming bureaucracies and their refusal to answer questions.
China spy case shows outdated laws hinder prosecutions
Legal experts claim that the China case reveals serious weaknesses in the UK’s legal system.
The Official Secrets Act, which predates modern cyber warfare, is “simply not relevant to the threats posed by state-sponsored hacking, industrial espionage or hybrid threats,” a government report before the 2016 announcement said.
Lawyers and intelligence officials have pushed Parliament to adopt updated national security legislation with modern definitions, provisions for digital evidence, and soft thresholds.
In a twist neither Cash, Berry, nor similar figures could have imagined, the failure to bring them to justice is being presented as an object lesson in how legal systems can find themselves outpaced by the shifts and veerings of geopolitical reality.
China spy case and individuals at the heart of the storm
The two men at the heart of the China case have vigorously denied serving as spies.
Christopher Cash said that, after the charges were dropped on 15 September 2025, He was relieved but angry.
He said he had been put in an “impossible situation” and criticized what he described as a “trial by media.”
Christopher Berry has not made any public comment, but his solicitor vented frustration at the absence of an explanation for the collapse.
Both men have said they are innocent and never officially charged.
China spy case aftermath: Pressure mounts for security overhaul
The China case has him leaving both major political parties under heavy scrutiny.
The Conservatives have since accused Starmer of failing to act.
The Labour government has accused the Tories of not updating the laws during their long years in power.
Collapse of the case Dominic Grieve, the former attorney general, described the collapse of the case as “utterly mystifying.”
Instead, Dominic Cummings is saying that China hacked high-level STRAP systems in Beijing.
The Cabinet Office rejects this suggestion and says it is inaccurate.
The back-and-forth illustrates how matters of national security can rapidly go from dormancy to politically explosive. The
China spy case may reshape future UK-China relations
The China case may affect UK-China relations for years.
Collins’s witness statements are written in a language that echoes Labour’s 2024 election manifesto: “Co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.”
It’s a seat-of-the-pants kind of way to handle threats to the nation from other states, and it is an indication that Britain is just another global trading nation anxious about its economic security as much as spying.
The case is perceived in Beijing as part of a broader Western narrative about Chinese espionage, for which the evidence has been largely unavailable to the public.
For London, it is a study in how to defend national interest without provoking an economic backlash.
China spy case fuels intelligence community frustration
Behind the scenes, British secret services are reportedly growing impatient.
MI5 and MI6 officials have repeatedly warned about the extent of Chinese intelligence operations.
They regard the collapse of this case as a sign to foreign powers that the legal weapons available to Britain are feeble.
Demand is growing for a review of legislation to allow security agencies and prosecutors more leeway in cases of espionage.
The rift is likely to deepen as both sides fight it out in Parliament over the next few months.
China spy case and global security context
The China case is not an isolated one.
Western nations have reported a boom in Chinese cyber operations, theft of industrial secrets, and political interference around the world.
The US, Australia, and a number of EU countries have also warned about similar behaviour.
This global backdrop is likely to influence how Britain refreshes its national security strategy.
China spy case: A pivotal moment for UK security policy
The spy case against China has grown into something that transcends a botched prosecution.
It is an inflection point for Britain’s fight to update its security law, to manage its diplomatic relationships, and advance its national interest.
The implosion of the case revealed defects in both law and politics, and its wake is altering the national discourse on security.
Under pressure from intelligence agencies, opposition parties, and the public, the government has a decision to make: reform or face history’s repetition.
For now, the China spy case is riveted at the heart of Britain’s political and security agenda — a moment that could determine its foreign policy for years.
FAQs
1. What is the China spy case?
It involves Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, accused of sharing sensitive UK information with Beijing.
2. Why did the China spy case collapse?
The CPS said there wasn’t enough evidence proving China was a national security threat at the time.
3.Who are Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry?
Cash was a parliamentary researcher, and Berry a teacher. Both denied any espionage.
4.What role did Keir Starmer play?
Starmer released witness statements to counter claims of a cover-up and blamed outdated laws.
5. How is China involved?
Witness statements say China runs large-scale espionage, but its embassy denies all claims.
6. What happens next?
The UK may review security laws to prevent similar case collapses.
7.What does this mean for UK-China relations?
It has increased political tension and pressure on the UK to balance security and economic ties.
