Government admits China poses series of threats to UK

upday.com 4 godzin temu
Security minister Dan Jarvis making a statement to the House of Commons, London, about the Official Secrets Act case ( House of Commons/UK Parliament

The UK Government has acknowledged that China poses a "series of threats to national security" as ministers face mounting pressure over the collapse of a high-profile espionage case. Security minister Dan Jarvis blamed the previous Conservative administration and outdated legislation for the Crown Prosecution Service's decision to drop charges against two men last month.

The case against Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, a teacher, was abandoned after prosecutors said the Government failed to provide sufficient evidence. Director of public prosecutions Stephen Parkinson stated that the case collapsed because evidence was not provided to support the assertion that China represented a threat to national security.

Government blames predecessor

Jarvis told MPs that "every effort was made to provide evidence to support this case" within the constraints of the previous government's reluctance to classify China as a national security threat. He said the prosecution was "hamstrung by antiquated legislation that had not been updated by the previous Conservative government".

Setting out the current government's position, Jarvis said: "We fully recognise that China poses a series of threats to UK national security, yet we must also be alive to the fact that China does present us with opportunities." He noted that China is "the world's second-largest economy and, together with Hong Kong, the UK's third-largest trading partner".

Opposition challenges ministers

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch urged ministers to "admit it" if they decided that "closer economic ties with China were more important than due process and national security". She questioned whether it was "seriously the Government's argument that no minister knew anything about this until the trial collapsed".

Badenoch defended her party's record, telling MPs that the 2021 integrated review described China as "the biggest state-based threat to the UK's economic security". She said the 2023 review called China a "threat" and noted that former security minister Tom Tugendhat had warned China "poses a serious threat" from the despatch box.

Minister hits back at criticism

Jarvis described Badenoch's contribution as a "whole series of baseless smears" and referred to comments she made at last year's Conservative Party conference when she said she had "shied away from calling China a threat". He quoted from Badenoch's September 2023 Sky News interview when she said: "We certainly should not be describing China as a foe but we can describe it as a challenge."

The Government strongly rejected suggestions that it influenced the case's collapse due to concerns about Chinese investment. The Sunday Times reported that the Treasury and national security adviser Jonathan Powell had pushed for the case to be withdrawn, fearing China might withdraw investment from the UK.

Economic concerns denied

Downing Street robustly denied these claims, with the Prime Minister's official spokesman calling the suggestions "entirely false". He added: "There was no role for any member of this Government, no minister, or special adviser, to take any decision in relation to this case. That is entirely for the CPS."

Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.

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