Opinion | China’s Big London Spy Platform

Did Britain’s Labour government torpedo a spying case to appease Beijing? Prime Minister Keir Starmer finds himself on the defensive as the opposition claims his government prioritized economic ties with China over national security. One test will be whether his government approves a proposed Chinese mega-embassy in London despite the espionage risks.

The political brawl erupted last month after a much-publicized espionage case collapsed on a legal technicality. Prosecutors claimed British teacher and consultant Christopher Berry and parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash passed sensitive details to Beijing in violation of the 1911 Official Secrets Act.

A 2024 High Court ruling expanded the definition of “enemy” to include any country that poses a national-security threat to the U.K. But the Crown Prosecution Service says the Labour government failed to provide such an assessment about China despite repeated requests, and as a result “the case could not proceed.” Messrs. Cash and Berry denied wrongdoing and the charges were dropped.

Mr. Starmer has blamed the previous government for failing to issue such a designation against China. Under political pressure, he released statements by deputy national security adviser Matthew Collins outlining the evidence in the espionage case, including that British MPs critical of Beijing were among the targets.