EXCLUSIVE: The Conservative MP believes the China spy case will be the downfall of the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister published the evidence in the collapsed China spy case (Image: Getty)
Tory MP Esther McVey has issued a scathing attack on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, claiming he has “polluted” British politics. The day after Labour published the evidence submitted by the government in the collapsed China spy case, the Conservative politician claimed “this is the story that will get rid of Starmer”. On Wednesday evening, Sir Keir released three witness statements from Deputy National Security Adviser Matt Collins.
The explosive case against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, accused of passing classified information to Beijing between 2021 and 2023, was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in September. Evidence from a senior civil servant revealed the UK’s continued commitment to maintaining a “positive relationship” with China. Subsequently, Labour has been accused of a “cover-up”, which Ms McVey claimed “reveals a rotten core” in the Government.
“It’s the cover up that is the ruining of somebody and something, and this is what’s happening here. Starmer is always saying, it wasn’t me, I didn’t know, pointing in the other direction. He’s chucking under the bus the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) and the deputy national security advisor, and he is saying, ‘I know nothing’,” Ms McVey claimed to the Daily Expresso podcast.
The Tory MP added that Sir Keir is “selling out the country for possible investment”. She said: “What it’s saying is we are no longer a sovereign state, we can be bullied by a foreign Government.
“It’s supposedly down to a trade deal that Labour wants, Starmer wants, that they so desperately want as they’ve ruined the economy, and this is what they’re doing.”
She went on to claim: “When we look back in time and the history books are written, they will say: How did China colonise Great Britain? How is it no longer a sovereign state? And the finger will be pointed to Starmer.”
The case against Mr Cash and Mr Berry, who have both denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey in October, was dropped after the Crown Prosecution Service concluded that the evidence did not demonstrate China posed a threat to national security.
However, intense criticism of the Government’s handling of the case and claims of a “cover-up” led to Sir Keir publishing the files.
In his evidence, Mr Collins stated that the Government was “committed” to a “positive relationship” with China. He also revealed that Cash had allegedly told Berry “you’re in spy territory now” when discussing sensitive material that was eventually sent to one of Xi Jinping‘s top officials.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman admitted he found out about the possible collapse of the trial “a couple of days” in advance but had not seen Mr Collins’s witness statements until Wednesday morning.
