The United Kingdom government has published the full case file from the now-collapsed prosecution against two men accused of spying for China, following mounting political pressure.
The release includes witness statements from Matthew Collins, the government’s deputy national security adviser, highlighting concerns about Chinese espionage activities against the United Kingdom.
Collins had warned in 2023 that China was engaged in “large scale espionage” operations targeting the UK.
His remarks were part of the witness statement for the case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, who have denied all allegations.
Two further statements written by Collins in February and August 2025 reiterated these concerns, describing Chinese espionage as a threat to “the UK’s economic prosperity and resilience.”
Despite highlighting these risks, the statements emphasized that the government remained “committed to pursuing a positive economic relationship with China.”
The documents were released by Downing Street on Wednesday night, after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) unexpectedly dropped the charges last month.
Collins’ first statement, submitted in December 2023 under a Conservative government, warned that “the Chinese Intelligence Services are highly capable and conduct large scale espionage operations against the UK and other international partners to advance the Chinese state’s interest and harm the interests and security of the UK.” By February 2025, he described China as “an authoritarian state, with different values to the UK,” posing “the biggest state-based threat to the UK’s economic security.”
In August 2025, his third statement noted that Chinese espionage endangered “the UK’s economic prosperity and resilience, and the integrity of our democratic institutions,” linking Beijing to hostile actions including a cyberattack on the UK Electoral Commission between 2021 and 2023.
While detailing these threats, Collins also emphasized the UK’s commitment to economic engagement with China, stating that the government should “continue to engage with international partners on trade and investment… while ensuring that our security and values are not compromised.”
The CPS said the prosecution collapsed because evidence referring to China as a national security threat could not be provided, and the director of public prosecutions noted that, under new legal precedent, China had not been officially designated a “national security threat” at the time of the alleged offences.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer agreed to publish the statements after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused his government of a “cover-up.”
Collins’ first statement detailed intelligence provided by counterterrorism police, including allegations that “the Chinese state recruited Mr Berry as an agent and successfully directed him to utilise Mr Cash,” who had access to MPs through the China Research Group.
Berry reportedly met a senior Chinese Communist Party official in July 2022 and informed Cash, who allegedly replied: “You’re in spy territory now.” The statement also claimed that information on British political developments was passed to a suspected Chinese agent named “Alex.”
Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Berry were charged in April 2024 under the Official Secrets Act, accused of collecting and sharing information harmful to national security between December 2021 and February 2023. Cash later said, “I have been placed in an impossible position… I have not had the daylight of a public trial to show my innocence,” while Berry has not commented since the case collapsed.
The Conservatives accused Labour of withholding evidence to protect diplomatic ties with Beijing, while Labour argued that the offences occurred under the previous administration’s policy toward China.
Starmer told Parliament, “Under this government, no minister or special adviser played any role in the provision of evidence.”
Following pressure from opposition parties, the government decided to release the documents, despite initial concerns that the CPS might view publication as “inappropriate.” The CPS later confirmed it would not oppose the release.
