Prawn balls-up
FOR weeks, Labour ministers have tried every trick to avoid a direct explanation of how and why the trial of two alleged spies for China collapsed.
Each bit of information has been dragged from the Government, kicking and screaming.
As an exercise in news management, it has been a shambles of the first order.
But this is about much more than yet another No10 communications disaster.
Labour has created the impression that bowing down to China — in order to get a few crumbs of trade — is more important than national security.
It didn’t wish to offend President Xi by being truthful about the threat China poses. So to hell with keeping our secrets safe.
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To our enemies, we look pathetically weak.
Our allies, such as the US, must be utterly bemused by the abject mess the Government has got itself into.
Astonishingly, Downing Street even managed to get itself into a briefing war with the Crown Prosecution Service — of which the Prime Minister used to be in charge.
Officials claimed a crucial witness statement by the Deputy National Security Adviser, which is at the heart of the row, could not be released on the say-so of the CPS.
The CPS flatly denied this.
Under pressure at Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir Starmer then folded — and decided it could be released after all.
Set aside all the spin.
At the heart of this is one simple fact.
A case involving two men accused of spying on our Parliament from the heart of Westminster fell apart because the Government was unwilling to call China an enemy.
And it happened on Sir Keir’s watch.
That doesn’t just smell bad.
It reeks worse than last week’s takeaway prawn balls.
On you, Rach
AS she prepares to impose the biggest tax burden in the G7, it would be helpful if Rachel Reeves stopped blaming everyone else for the £30billion black hole she is facing.
Brexit, Nigel Farage, Donald Trump. The list goes on.
Instead, the Chancellor might want to look at the Government’s own disastrous National Insurance rise which has destroyed jobs and growth.
The whole economy is in paralysis as a result of her decision to delay the Budget until the end of next month.
Reeves has belatedly seemed to suggest that Labour recognises spending must be curbed.
But she also remains wedded to more tax.
Instead, the Chancellor should be going for growth with radical measures like cutting VAT for small businesses.
