Jonathan Powell to face MPs over role in collapse of espionage trial
Jonathan Powell will appear before parliament for the first time amid questions about his role in the collapse of a trial of two Britons accused of spying for China.Keir Starmer’s national security adviser is due to be quizzed by senior parliamentarians at a private hearing of the joint committee on the national security strategy in the coming weeks.Powell’s appearance will mark the end of a year-long standoff between the committee and ministers, who refused for months to make him available for scrutiny before parliament.The prime minister’s spokesperson said on Monday that Powell “takes his accountability responsibilities very seriously”.The committee, chaired by the Labour MP Matt Western, is in discussions with officials over the date of the hearing.
It is made up of several select committee chairs such as Emily Thornberry, Sarah Champion and Liam Byrne and peers including the former cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill and former David Cameron adviser Kate Fall,Powell is likely to face questions about the abandonment of a major Chinese spying case as well as the government’s approach to national security more broadly,Separately the intelligence and security committee, which is chaired by Labour peer Kevan Jones and scrutinises the operation of the UK’s security agencies, expects to receive information about the case as part of its regular work and will examine if further investigation is required,The trial of Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary aide, and Christopher Berry was due to begin this month but was suddenly dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service on 15 September,Both men denied the charges.
Prosecutors said they could not proceed because the evidential standard was “no longer met”.Downing Street strongly denied suggestions that government interference was behind this move on Monday.“The suggestion that the government withheld evidence, withdrew witnesses, or restricted the ability of witnesses to draw on particular bits of evidence are all untrue,” the prime minister’s political spokesperson said.Powell is facing questions about his role after the Sunday Times reported that the CPS withdrew charges days after senior Whitehall officials, including Powell and the Foreign Office’s top civil servant, Oliver Robbins, met to discuss the trial.In order to prove the case under the Official Secrets Act, prosecutors would have had to show the defendants were acting for an “enemy”.
Powell reportedly told the meeting that the government’s evidence would be based on this year’s national security strategy, which does not use that term to describe China but instead called it a “geo-strategic challenge”, so it could not be used in court.Government sources have pointed out that the Conservatives did not describe China as a threat in their strategy either.Ministers including Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, have expressed their disappointment at the collapse of the case.Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker, has said the development leaves MPs vulnerable to espionage and is considering bringing a private prosecution.The government had resisted requests for Powell to appear before parliament for months, arguing it would not be appropriate because he is a special adviser rather than a civil servant.
In response, Western accused ministers of “using a quirk of his appointment as a special adviser” to “erode democratic norms”, and said Powell was the first national security adviser not to appear before the committee since the role was created in 2010.Powell has emerged as one of the most important figures shaping foreign policy under Starmer, and is referred to by some in Whitehall as the de facto foreign secretary.He is heavily involved in managing relations between the UK and US.Before his appointment as national security adviser, he was tasked with negotiating the sovereignty dispute between the UK and Mauritius over the Chagos Islands.A veteran of the New Labour years, he served as chief of staff for the entirety of Tony Blair’s premiership and helped to negotiate the Good Friday agreement.
The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know.If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods.Secure Messaging in the Guardian appThe Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories.Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs.This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said.
If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu.Select ‘Secure Messaging’.SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and postIf you can safely use the Tor network without being observed or monitored, you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform.Finally, our guide at theguardian.com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each.
Robert Jenrick complained of ‘not seeing another white face’ in Birmingham neighbourhood
Robert Jenrick complained about visiting an area of Birmingham where he “didn’t see another white face” and said it was not the kind of country he wanted to live in.After highlighting the lack of white people, the shadow justice secretary said it was not about “the colour of your skin or your faith” and he wanted people to live alongside each other.However, he has been criticised by the area’s MP for suggesting he could tell whether Handsworth was “properly integrated” based on whether there were any white people in the area during a 90-minute period.Jenrick made the comments, which were recorded, during a dinner at the Aldridge-Brownhills Conservative Association dinner on 14 March after he had recorded a video for GB News about litter in the suburb.He told the dinner: “I went to Handsworth in Birmingham the other day to do a video on litter and it was absolutely appalling
Has Kemi Badenoch sounded the death knell for one nation Conservatism?
In one popular reading of the history of Tory successes, the party’s last three election-winning prime ministers – John Major, David Cameron and Boris Johnson – all swept into Downing Street on unifying one-nation platforms.But for many people this year’s Tory conference, marked by its hardening rhetoric on asylum seekers and growing overtures to Nigel Farage’s brand of politics, feels a far cry from those broad principles.Kemi Badenoch kicked off the gathering in Manchester with a pledge to withdraw the UK from the European convention on human rights, a move which would have been controversial inside the party just a few years ago but now commands the support of the vast majority of Conservative MPs.The Tory leader has also committed to scrapping the UK’s net zero target by 2050, shattering the mainstream political consensus on the climate crisis.It is no surprise then that insiders are asking whether Badenoch’s leadership – and the direction the party is taking under the influence of rightwingers such as Robert Jenrick – sounds the death knell for one nation Conservatism
Tories set a low bar after misspelling Britain on conference chocolate
A chocolate bar given out by the Conservatives at their annual party conference misspelled the name of the country they are hoping to govern.The confectionery, in a blue wrapper, featured a slogan from the Tory party leader with an incorrect spelling of Britain.“When Labour negotiates, Britian loses,” read the message, signed by Kemi Badenoch.The chocolate bar was included in a goodie bag given out at the party’s conference in Manchester, the Sun reported.Organisers are reportedly blaming the mistake on a “printing error” and have since removed the chocolate from the bags, which also contained pictures of Rachel Reeves’s “fake CV” and a mock copy of Reform UK’s manifesto
Nearly two thirds of Tory members want pact with Reform, poll suggests, with close to half supporting full merger – as it happened
Andrew Rosindell is not alone in wanting a pact with Reform UK. (See 4.59am.) According to new polling by YouGov, almost two thirds of members want a pact, and almost half of them would support a full merger.The same poll found that half of members want Kemi Badenoch to be replaced as Tory leader before the next election, while 46% want her to stay on
Humiliation upon humiliation for the Melster in front of half-full Tory crowd | John Crace
The unbearable lightness of the Tory party conference. A place where nothing ever happens. Where dreams come to die. Where the only joy to be found is in the possibility of forgetting. Oblivion is the hottest ticket on offer
Jonathan Powell to face MPs over role in collapse of espionage trial
Jonathan Powell will appear before parliament for the first time amid questions about his role in the collapse of a trial of two Britons accused of spying for China.Keir Starmer’s national security adviser is due to be quizzed by senior parliamentarians at a private hearing of the joint committee on the national security strategy in the coming weeks.Powell’s appearance will mark the end of a year-long standoff between the committee and ministers, who refused for months to make him available for scrutiny before parliament. The prime minister’s spokesperson said on Monday that Powell “takes his accountability responsibilities very seriously”.The committee, chaired by the Labour MP Matt Western, is in discussions with officials over the date of the hearing
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy gunpowder paneer and potato skewers with lime-mint dressing – recipe
How to make rice and peas – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass
Kudu, London W1: ‘I’ve found a new way to enjoy bread and butter’ – restaurant review
Warnings of imports of caged hen eggs as Ukraine and Poland become UK’s biggest suppliers
Jamie Oliver and his wife pay themselves £2.5m as pre-tax profits slump
Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for plum and ginger buns