The Government’s account of its handling of the alleged China spying case is “falling apart,” according to opposition whip and former Downing Street chief of staff Nick Timothy MP.
Speaking to GB News, he said: “The Government’s case is falling apart. Every single day we get new news reports. Last week, we had the security minister come to Parliament.
“He denied that one of the most sensitive meetings in this whole story took place in September.
“By Wednesday, the Prime Minister came to Parliament and confirmed that that meeting did take place. And then on Thursday, they sent a junior minister who gave, I’m afraid, the worst performance I’ve seen in the House of Commons in my time there to date.
“He wasn’t able to answer any question. He wasn’t able to justify what the Prime Minister had said.
“He contradicted what the Government had previously said in several key ways. And we need to get to the bottom of this. We need the truth.
“We need total transparency, because at the heart of this is something really, really important, which is our national security.
“This was a trial of two people who we believe were spying on Parliament for China, and the Government, it is alleged, did not give the Crown Prosecution Service the information they needed to successfully prosecute these two men.”
Nick Timothy MP said ‘we need the truth’ about the situation
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GB NEWS
Mr Timothy’s comments come as questions continue over what officials knew and when, raising concerns about the handling of sensitive intelligence and the implications for UK security.
This comes after reports that one of the suspects in the alleged Chinese spying case was reportedly carrying a “suitcase full of cash” when he was stopped by police under terrorism laws at Heathrow Airport.
Christopher Berry, 33, an academic from Witney, Oxfordshire, was intercepted with £4,000 in February 2023 nearly six weeks before his formal arrest on suspicion of spying for China.
Sources familiar with the case say the money was believed to have been given to Berry by his Chinese intelligence handler, known only as “Alex”.
It remains unclear whether the cash was retained by police or what currency it was in.
Last week, Sir Keir Starmer finally published 18 pages of evidence connected with the case.
Mr Cash and Mr Berry, who both deny any wrongdoing, had been accused of passing secrets to Beijing and were charged under the Official Secrets Act in April 2024.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service unexpectedly dropped the charges against the two men last month.
The Director of Public Prosecutions claimed the case collapsed because evidence which referred to China as a national security threat could not be obtained.
In the now-released witness statements, Mr Collins said that Chinese intelligence services were “highly capable and conduct large-scale espionage operations” against the UK.
Sir Keir Starmer has come under fire for the China spy scandal
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X / KEIR STARMERMr Collins went on to admit that the UK was “committed to pursuing a positive relationship” with Beijing.
Mr Collins submitted one witness statement in 2023, with another two statements being filed earlier this year.
Concluding one witness statement, the deputy national security adviser wrote: “For the reasons given above, it is my assessment that the suspects’ alleged activities were prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK, and the information and material passed would be directly or indirectly useful to the Chinese state.”
