No 10 says Badenoch’s claim PM should have intervened to stop China spy trial collapsing ‘absurd’ – as it happened

October 16, 2025

No 10 says Badenoch’s claim PM should have intervened to stop China spy trial collapsing ‘absurd’ – as it happened

Matt Western , the Labour chair of the joint committee on national security strategy, said that his commitee met this morning and has decided to hold a formal inquiry into this.

He said the chairs of the home affairs committee, the foreign affairs committee and the justice committee were among the committee’s members.

He asked for an assurance that the inquiry would have access to ministers and officials.

Ward said the government welcomed parliamentary scrutiny. He said he was sure witnesses would be made available to the committee.

MPs will hold an inquiry into the collapse of the caseagainst two men accused of spying for China, after No 10 published key evidence in an attempt to draw a line under the row.

The MI5 director general, Ken McCallum, has acknowledged his frustration at the failure to put on trial two Britons who had been accused of spying for China, in an apparent rebuke to prosecutors who dropped the high-profile case last month.

Rachel Reeves has said those with the “broadest shoulders” should pay their “fair share,” of taxes and promised new measures to tackle inflation, as she draws up next month’s crunch budget.

The UK economy expanded by 0.1% in August, according to official figures, giving a lift to Rachel Reeves before next month’s crucial budget.