The critical evidence which led to the China spy case collapsing will not be made public, it emerged yesterday.
Requests to release a key witness statement by the deputy national security adviser which resulted in the case collapsing have been rejected after the Crown Prosecution Service said it would be ‘inappropriate’ outside of a courtroom.
The decision will fuel more speculation about the controversial case which was aborted last month with no explanation provided in open court.
Yesterday Downing Street said the Prime Minister has full confidence in the government’s deputy national security adviser as a blame game erupted with Matthew Collins named by ministers as being responsible for failing to say China was Britain’s enemy.
Mr Collins’ evidence that China could not be called a threat to national security led to the collapse of charges against parliamentary researcher Chris Cash, 30, and his friend Christopher Berry, 33, who were accused of passing secrets to Beijing, which they denied.
Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald is understood to have discussed making public witness statements from Mr Collins who was asked three times to provide evidence that China was an enemy before the Director of Public Prosecutions pulled the plug when it was ‘not forthcoming’.
But the move has been blocked by the CPS, which says publication of the statements would be ‘inappropriate’ outside of a courtroom.
A blame game erupted with Matthew Collins named by ministers as being responsible for failing to say China was Britain’s enemy
Yesterday Downing Street said the Prime Minister has full confidence in Mr Collins
After a heated debate in the Commons on Monday night when Mr Collins was named by the Security Minister Dan Jarvis as the official responsible for the decision, Labour was accused of using a ‘scapegoat’.
Former Security Minister Tom Tugendhat told BBC Newsnight: ‘The idea of throwing Matt Collins under the bus, I think, is frankly pretty low.’
Tory former minister Lord Gove also questioned: ‘Are we really asked to believe a single civil servant is alone responsible? I fear he may be being made a scapegoat.’
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper pointedly refused to say Mr Collins’ job was safe on Tuesday night.
But yesterday the Prime Minister’s official spokesman insisted Sir Keir had full confidence in Mr Collins, adding ‘anyone who had met the deputy national security adviser Matthew Collins will know he faithfully carries out his job’.
Downing Street insisted Sir Keir Starmer has not seen the evidence, saying ministers are not privy to ‘independent’ witness statements provided to the CPS.
But a spokesman said: ‘The deputy national security adviser is a highly respected securocrat with unparalleled experience in working across the national security community to keep the UK safe, secure and prosperous.
‘Mr Collins has “the highest levels of integrity and experience”,’ the official said, adding that Sir Keir ‘absolutely’ has confidence in the deputy national security adviser.
