No 10 says claims it concealed evidence or withdrew evidence or witnesses to stop China spy trial ‘all categorically untrue’
At the Downing Street lobby briefing this morning the PM’s spokesperson took questions for about 45 minutes on the collapse of the China spying prosecution. The briefing did not provide answers to all the questions raised by Kemi Badenoch (see 10.20am) and others, but it did move things on a bit. Here are the main points.
The government has provided the evidence that was drawn up under the previous government – evidence that was drawn up consistent with the previous government’s stance on China, and consistent with what the Official Secrets Act 1911 requires. The evidence was drawn up using the full range of evidence across government.
But he said the government could only provide evidence relating to what the threat assessment of China was at the time the alleged offences were committed.
The director of public prosecutions has given his assurance that the the CPS were not influenced any external party.
As we repeatedly said also in the course of the last week or so, the suggestions that the government concealed evidence, withdrew evidence, withdrew witnesses are all categorically untrue.
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The spokesperson rejected suggestions that Jonathan Powell, the national security adviser, sabotaged the prosecution. Referring to a Sunday Times story, the spokesperson said:
There have been various reports alleging that a meeting was held about the case in September where the national security adviser ruled that China could not be defined as a threat or took a decision to withdraw evidence or withdraw key witnesses. That is simply untrue.
The national security adviser happening, nor any government minister, made no decisions on the content of any evidence relating to the case, nor has he or any government minister had any part in any decisions about the substance of the case itself.
At that point, when the Powell meeting was taking place, government officials were working on the basis that the trial was going to go ahead, it is claimed.
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The spokesperson echoed Hamish Falconer this morning in suggesting that the Official Secrets Act 1911 should have been updated earlier. (See 9.53am.) The spokesperson said the National Security Act which is now in force would make prosecuting alleged offences like these ones (committed when the old law still applied) easier. The new law “removes the unhelpful enemy designation language from the Official Secrets Act” and is “state agnostic”, he said.
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The spokesperson accepted that in some respects China does pose a “threat” to the UK. This government, like the last one, has been reluctant to explicitly describe China as a threat. The spokesperson said that the national security strategy made it clear that China is a country with “potentially huge consequencese for the lives of British citizens”. He went on:
We detailed how instances of China’s espionage, interference in our democracy, undermining our economic security, have increased.
In recent years, successive governments said that China can’t be reduced to a single word – either threat, challenge or opportunity – but in reality it presents all of these things, which is why we are taking a long-term, strategic approach.
In previous briefings Downing Street has avoided using the word “threat” in the context of China, and so this does seem to be a modest hardening of the government’s position.
Key events
This is from Kemi Badenoch, suggesting that she will be leading for the Tories when Dan Jarvis, the security minister, makes his statement on the China spying case. It is due to start very soon.
I will be demanding answers in the House of Commons on the squalid China Spy Scandal shortly.
It’s time this weak Government comes clean on why the case against these alleged spies collapsed, and reassures the public, Parliament and our allies that it wasn’t done deliberately.
As Peter Walker reports, a new organisation is being set up to defend promote ethical standards in public life, the Ethics and Integrity Commission.
In a joint statement commenting on the move, four organisations that promote democracy and transparency – Unlock Democracy, Transparency International, Spotlight on Corruption and the UK Anti-Corruption Coalition – have said the move does not go far enough. They say the new body does not have enough powers, is not sufficiently independent and does not have enough financial autonomy.
As part of the changes, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) is being abolished. Acoba also covered Scotland and, as a result, the Scottish government has announced new procedures to cover potential conflicts of interest when Scottish government ministers and senior officials leave government and take up new jobs.
Swinney says Scottish government opening network of walk-in GP services, open until 8pm
In his speech to the SNP conference, John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, also announced that the Scottish government will open a network of walk-in GP centres.
He said:
More and more people are being seen. Waiting lists are falling. More appointments. More operations. And more GPs.
But one key issue I hear about is the ‘8am rush’ for appointments.
We want to make it easier for you to see a GP – where and when it works for you.
That is why I can announce today that this SNP government will open a nationwide network of walk-in GP services.
Based in your community. On your local high street. Near your child’s school. Or close to your workplace.
They will break from the status quo.
They will add to the care we already value.
Staffed by GPs and nurses.
Open from 12 noon to 8pm.
And you won’t need to call up for an appointment.
That means more people can go after work – when it fits with their lives.
And to make that even easier they will be open seven days a week.
Families of David Amess and Jo Cox voice concern at rise in violent political rhetoric
The families of the murdered MPs David Amess and Jo Cox have voiced concern about a recent surge in violent political rhetoric in Britain, Ben Quinn reports.
Attacks on Jews and Muslims are ‘attacks on entire country’, Shabana Mahmood tells MPs
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, told MPs that attacks on Jewish and Muslim communities in the UK “are attacks on our entire country”.
In a Commons statement on the Manchester synagogue attack, she said:
Let me be clear, violence directed at any community, be they Jewish or Muslim, of all faiths or none, are attacks on our entire country.
I know this country is united in our condemnation of those who seek to divide us, because one of the greatest achievements of this country has been our tolerance, our ability to accept and embrace difference, our generosity towards those who may not look the same but are encompassed comfortably within a single national identity.
Mahmood also said that the “real face of this country” is not the pro-Palestine protesters who took to the streets the day after the attack, but those who “stood with their Jewish neighbours”.
She confirmed that, in the light of the attack, she will give the police new powers to impose restrictions on protest marches by allowing them to take into account the cumulative impact of those marches on communities, not just the one-off impact.
She also confirmed that the govenment has increased protection around synagogues following the attack, and that it was stepping up its efforts to tackle antisemitism.
Swinney says Scottish government will sponsor foreign care workers wanting to work in Scotland to circumvent UK’s tighter visa rules
John Swinney, Scotland’s first minister, has announced that the Scottish government will sponsor social care workers from overseas to work in the country’s care homes.
In his speech to the SNP’s conference, after denouncing what he described as Westminster’s “race to the right” (see 12.36pm), Swinney said:
As well as being morally wrong, Westminster’s race to the right is also deeply damaging to our society
The number of nurses the NHS was able to recruit from overseas fell by 80% last year – 80%.
And in July, Westminster shut down the visa route for social care workers.
They even withdrew job offers that had already been promised.
As a result, thousands of care workers here in the UK entirely legally have been left high and dry.
Unable to work, while care homes are crying out for staff.
In what world does that make make any sense?
Well delegates, I’ve got a solution.
I can announce today that the Scottish government is going to step in.
We will sponsor these skilled staff so they can work, pay tax and help keep Scotland’s care homes running.
Hundreds of dedicated workers.
Able to start work immediately.
Scotland’s older people must not pay the price for Westminster’s prejudice.
Badenoch said it was wrong to describe China as a foe when she was in government, peers told
Anderson told peers that when the Conservatives were in office, they did not describe China as a threat. She quoted Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, as saying when she was business secretary two years ago that “we certainly should not be describing China as a foe”.
In her open letter to Keir Starmer released last night, Badenoch criticised the government for not describing China as a threat. (See 10.20am.)
Anderson said the deputy national security adviser gave three different witness statements to the CPS for use in the China spying prosecution. She said it was the CPS’s decision not to use these.
Government does view China as threat, peers told
Michael Forsyth, the Tory former cabinet minister, asked if the government viewed China as a threat.
Anderson said the UK’s relationship with China was complicated. But some of China’s agents have posed a threat, she said.
UPDATE: In response to a further question about whether China was a threat, Anderson said:
The government knows that China poses a series of threats to UK national security. We have seen Chinese espionage and cyber attacks on our soil and transnational repression of Hong Kongers. I think based on that I can say ‘yes’.
