Questions remain over trial collapse even as publication of key evidence scuppers Tory’s main line of attack
When Keir Starmer finally read the witness statement from his deputy national security adviser for the trial of two British men accused of spying for China, some of his frustration about the collapse of the case began to dissipate.
His government had been besieged by the Tories for two weeks over its role, being accused of “secretly sabotaging” the trial, “blocking” key witnesses and “hiding behind process”, all to avoid having to tell a court that China was an enemy.
Media reports suggested the refusal by the government to describe China as a threat had scuppered the case, eventually forcing it to publish three witness statements from Matthew Collins, the government’s deputy national security adviser – one produced under Rishi Sunak’s government and two under Starmer’s.
The statements presented a generally consistent picture of China as – in the words of the first, from December 2023 – an “epoch-defining challenge”.
