Lord Hermer gives evidence to joint committee on national security strategy about the China spy case Mark Sedwill, the former cabinet secretary and former national security adviser, goes next. He is now a peer, and a member of the committee. He says the deputy national security adviser, Matthew Collins, thought there was enough evidence for the case to go ahead. But the CPS did not agree. Who was right? In 2017, the Law Commission flagged that the term enemy [in the legislation] was deeply problematic and it would give rise…
Tag: Labour
Boris Johnson approved China’s London super-embassy proposal in 2018
Boris Johnson approved the China’s super-embassy proposal in 2018 and welcomed the fact it would represent “China’s largest overseas diplomatic investment” anywhere in the world, the Guardian can disclose. In a letter to Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, Johnson gave his consent for Royal Mint Court to house a sprawling diplomatic complex in May 2018. The Chinese government bought the 20,000 sq metres site for £255m that same month. The disclosure demonstrates that the Conservatives under Theresa May gave Beijing assurances that it could proceed with the proposal, which is…
Immigration system in crisis: sky-high hotel bills and a convict on the loose – podcast
Another week, another immigration crisis. A powerful parliamentary committee has accused the Home Office – for this government and the last – of squandering billions of pounds on asylum accommodation and overseeing a ‘failed, chaotic and expensive’ system. The report came days after the barely believable revelation that the convicted sex offender whose case sparked protests at the Bell hotel in Epping was accidentally let out of prison on Friday instead of being deported. He is now back in custody. Pippa Crerar and Eleni Courea discuss the ongoing firefighting at…
Minister insists government will get asylum seekers out of hotels and expects progress ‘within weeks’ – UK politics live
From 4h ago Minister says government committed to getting all asylum seekers out of hotels after report says system ‘chaotic’ Good morning. When Jimmy Carter was US president, he gave a famous address in 1979 saying the country was suffering a crisis of confidence. It became known as the malaise speech, and now it is widely regarded as a mistake, because it was unduly pessimistic and because, in the presidential election the following year, voters turned to the much more upbeat Ronald Reagaan. Yesterday Wes Streeting, the health secretary, had…
China spy case gives MPs the opportunity to discuss their favourite topic: themselves | John Crace
There are few things that MPs take more seriously than themselves. Their desire to put themselves front and centre of world events. Their need to imagine that everything they do makes a difference. No greater self-love hath any person than this. If they were to have a therapist, I am sure they would be having a field day. The triumph of ego over ever-diminishing quantities of self-worth. So the collapse of the Chinese spy trial has been a godsend to almost every opposition MP. Now, you might have thought the…
Minister says Tories should stop ‘throwing mud’ over China spy case and accept their role in its collapse – UK politics live
From 24m ago Security minister Dan Jarvis answers urgent question on China spy case Dan Jarvis, the security minister, is responding to an urgent question on the China spy case in the Commons. He say the decision to drop the prosecution was taken by the CPS. He says the PM was only told about that a few days before the decision it was announced, and at that point there was nothing that he or other ministers could do to stop that. Share <gu-island name="KeyEventsCarousel" priority="feature" deferuntil="visible" props="{"keyEvents":[{"id":"68f64c3e8f08ae83a2058417","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" Chris Philp, the…
Chinese embassy approval could be unlawful if UK ministers gave advance assurances
Approving a Chinese super-embassy in east London could be unlawful if ministers gave Beijing assurances about the project in advance, one of the UK’s top planning lawyers has concluded. If Keir Starmer or his team made promises to the Chinese government about the embassy, it could constitute “actual or apparent predetermination” of the planning application, according to the legal opinion by Lord Banner. The opinion was commissioned by a group of residents opposed to the proposed Chinese embassy near Tower Bridge, which has attracted fierce opposition because of security, human…
No 10 says talks happening ‘at pace’ across government to lift ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending Aston Villa match – live
From 2h ago No 10 says talks happening ‘at pace’ across government to get Maccabi fans ban lifted Downing Street has said that discussions are happening “at pace, across government” to resolve the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending the Europa League match in Birmingham. At the morning lobby briefing, a No 10 spokesperson told reporters: Conversations began on this last night. You will have seen the West Midlands police and crime commissioner has asked police and Birmingham’s safety advisory group to immediately review the decision. Culture secretary Lisa…
Head of CPS faces cross-party pressure to explain China spy trial collapse
The director of public prosecutions has come under intense cross-party pressure to explain why the China spy trial collapsed as MI5 expressed frustration at the decision and MPs launched a series of inquiries into how it was taken. The chairs of the home affairs, foreign affairs, justice and national security committees wrote together to Stephen Parkinson, the head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), on Thursday calling on him to give “a fuller explanation for the dropping of charges”. They asked Parkinson “what steps did you take to make ministers…
The Guardian view on UK national security: a case of state failure | Editorial
The China spying row has revealed disturbing weaknesses in the processes of the UK state. It cannot be in the national interest for a case involving national security to get so close to the courts and then for it to be abandoned in what remain mysterious circumstances. Public confidence, as well as security itself, are inevitably placed at risk. But this genuinely important issue now risks being blanketed by the fog of the party-political battle at Westminster. For the third time this week, MPs spent Thursday trading accusations about whether the Conservatives or Labour are more…