Parliament has to “challenge the government’s handling” of the collapsed case against two men accused of spying for China, a senior Tory has told City AM.
Speaking to City AM, David Davis MP, stated the issue must go to Parliament, “given that the government has quite explicitly put commercial interest ahead of the security and integrity of the House of Commons.”
Christopher Cash (30), a former parliamentary researcher and director of the China Research Group, and Christopher Berry (33), a former English teacher in China, were charged last year with breaching section one of the 1911 Official Secrets Act.
Both men deny all allegations.
But one month before the trial was meant to begin, the case collapsed after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case without much explanation at the time.
Since then, questions have been raised in Whitehall over the government’s involvement.
The collapse of the spy trial
Questions have emerged about whether ministers or the national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, were involved in the decision to drop the espionage case against two men earlier this month.
However, the Prime Minister denies that ministers were involved.
“In the final analysis, if the government refuses to prosecute these people for allegedly spying, Parliament will have to attempt to do the task itself, if need be, through a private prosecution,” Davis suggested.
Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, was reported to be so furious with the news he asked colleagues whether a private prosecution could be brought against the accused.
“In the first instance, I’m quite sure that Parliament will be demanding to hear the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth from government ministers when we return next week,” Davis added.
Earlier this week, even the Director of Public Prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, blamed the government, saying the CPS tried to take evidence from the government “over many months” but failed to gain enough.
In a letter on Tuesday, Parkinson said prosecutors had sought clarity from the government on whether it confirmed that China was labelled a threat necessary for the case to proceed.
However, Nick Vamos, head of business crime and investigations at Peters & Peters, and a former head of special crime at the CPS, told City AM the explanation “doesn’t add up.”