China accused of ‘large-scale espionage’ in witness statements on collapsed spy case

The government’s deputy national security adviser repeatedly described the “threat” posed by China in witness statements Sir Keir Starmer has been forced to publish as part of an extraordinary row over a collapsed spying case.

Matt Collins said Chinese intelligence services were “highly capable and conduct large scale espionage operations” against the UK, which “threaten the UK’s economic prosperity and resilience and the integrity of our democratic institutions”.

But he added that the government was “committed to pursuing a positive relationship” with Beijing.

In the three witness statements, he also told prosecutors it was his assessment that the two men accused of spying for China acted in a way that was a danger to the “safety” and “interests” of the UK, handing over material that would be “useful” to the Chinese state. They deny any wrongdoing.

The release of the documents will pile pressure on the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to explain why it unexpectedly dropped charges against the two men, Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry.

The CPS has said the case collapsed because the government’s evidence did not show that China represented a threat to national security at the time of the alleged offences, which took place under the last Tory government.

Ministers hope the release of the documents will prove the Labour government did not force the case to collapse.

But the Conservatives said they showed “the extent of the threat that China poses to the UK, and makes it all the more shocking that the prime minister knew of the imminent collapse of this trial, but did nothing to stop it”.

The Lib Dems called for a statutory inquiry and said the statements raised “more questions” than they answered.

In his first statement, Mr Collins said that evidence provided by police about the accused stated that Mr Berry had exchanged messages with “Alex”, an alleged Chinese agent, and met a senior member of the Chinese Communist Party. Mr Cash is said to have told Mr Berry: “You’re in spy territory now.”

Mr Collins said: “It is highly unlikely that one of the most senior officials in China would meet Mr Berry unless the Chinese state considered him to be someone who could obtain valuable information.”

He pointed to one occasion when Mr Berry was given 13 hours to provide information, saying that it “indicates to me that it may have been used to inform real-term decision-making.”

Information allegedly passed on included about ministers likely to be promoted to the cabinet, as well as the position of the government on issues.

His statement concluded: “In my view, providing sensitive information of the kind passed by Mr Cash and Mr Berry to the Chinese state was prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK as it gave the Chinese state a tactical or strategic advantage. The information and material passed would be directly or indirectly useful to China.”

Meanwhile, Mr Cash said he had been out in an “impossible position”.

He said: “I have not had the daylight of a public trial to show my innocence, and I should not have to take part in a trial by media. The statements that have been made public are completely devoid of the context that would have been given at trial.

“Furthermore, the assessments of the information shared would have been subject to a root and branch challenge. Those assessments would not have withstood the scrutiny of a public trial.”

In his final witness statement in August, Mr Collins discussed the “active espionage threat that China posed to the UK between 2021-23”.

He added: “As I said in my first statement, the Chinese Intelligence Services are highly capable and conduct large scale espionage operations against the UK to advance the Chinese state’s interests and harm the interests and security of the UK.

“Chinese espionage operations threaten the UK’s economic prosperity and resilience and the integrity of our democratic institutions.”

But he also added: “It is important for me to emphasise, however, that the UK government is committed to pursuing a positive relationship with China to strengthen understanding, cooperation and stability.”

In an earlier statement in February 2024, he said China was “the biggest state-based threat to the UK’s economic security”.

He said a “wide range of UK government and commercial targets” had been attacked by “advanced persistent threat” (APT) groups which had been attributed to China’s Ministry of State Security.

An APT “uses continuous, clandestine, and sophisticated hacking techniques to gain access to a system and remain inside for a prolonged period of time, with potentially destructive consequences”, Mr Collins said.

He added that in July 2021, the government attributed the hack of Microsoft Exchange servers to “the Chinese state linked actors and judged that the purpose of the attack was highly likely to enable large-scale espionage.”

US secretary of war Hegseth’s plane forced to make emergency landing in UK

An airplane carrying Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was forced to make an emergency landing in the United Kingdom Wednesday due to a crack in its windshield, officials said.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on social media that on the way back to the U.S. after NATO’s Defense Minister meeting in Belgium, the plane made an “unscheduled landing in the United Kingdom” because of a crack in the aircraft’s windshield — also known as a windscreen.

The plane landed based on standard procedures, and all of the passengers on board, including Hegseth, were safe, Parnell added.

“All good. Thank God,” Hegseth wrote on X. “Continue mission!”

Hegseth was traveling in a C-32A, a modified Boeing 757 used by the Air Force for VIP transport. Other top leaders, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance and occasionally, even President Donald Trump, use the aircraft when visiting airports with runways too short for the modified Boeing-747 Trump typically uses as Air Force One.

It was unclear what caused the crack in the plane’s windshield.

Flight tracking data showed that the plane took off from Brussels and made it past Ireland before turning around to land at Royal Air Force Mildenhall in England at 7:07 p.m. local time. It was not known what time the plane initially took off.

Hegseth and previous secretaries of defense have traditionally used a different aircraft for foreign travel, the Boeing E-4B.

The Boeing E-4B is a modified Boeing-747 that has been hardened for use an an airborne command post by the president or Pentagon leadership during nuclear conflicts. It is known within the Air Force as “Air Force One when it counts” and the “Doomsday plane.”

It was not immediately clear why Hegseth was traveling on the smaller, C-32 plane.

The C-32, which had to perform an emergency landing, has less capabilities than the E-4B, but is decked out with a more luxurious interior thanks to upgrades made during Trump’s first term as president.

During his time in Brussels, Hegseth warned the U.S. would “impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression” if the war in Ukraine does not come to an end.

“If we must take this step, the U.S. War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do,” Hegseth said at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group of Kyiv’s allies at NATO headquarters.

Hegseth did not elaborate. His comments came as Trump’s administration is considering a request by Ukraine for long-range Tomahawk missiles.

Earlier this year, an air force plane carrying Rubio to Munich was forced to return to Washington after experiencing a mechanical problem.

Company linked to Michelle Mone misses deadline to repay £122 million

A company linked to Baroness Michelle Mone has failed to meet a deadline to repay almost £122 million to the government, the Health Secretary has said.

The repayment was due after the company, PPE Medpro, was found to have breached a contract for surgical gowns during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) successfully sued PPE Medpro, a consortium led by Lady Mone’s husband Doug Barrowman, earlier this year.

They claimed that it had breached the deal for the 25 million gowns as they were “faulty” due to not being sterile.

In a ruling earlier this month, Mrs Justice Cockerill found that the gowns “were not, contractually speaking, sterile, or properly validated as being sterile”, which meant they could not be used in the NHS.

She ordered them to pay back £121,999,219.20 and interest by 4pm on Wednesday, but the day before the ruling, PPE Medpro entered administration.

After the deadline passed, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that PPE Medpro “has failed to meet the deadline to pay” and that interest on the sum was “now accruing daily”.

He said: “At a time of national crisis, PPE Medpro sold the previous government substandard kit and pocketed taxpayers’ hard-earned cash.”

He continued: “We will pursue PPE Medpro with everything we’ve got to get these funds back where they belong – in our NHS.”

PPE Medpro was also ordered to pay interest, which it is understood stands at £23,673,029.20, meaning the total figure owed is around £145.6 million.

Interest will accrue at a rate of 8 per cent per year from Thursday until the money is paid.

A spokesperson for the consortium previously said that it was prepared to “enter into a dialogue” with the Government with a view to a “possible settlement”, but said earlier on Wednesday that it had not received a response.

They said: “On Friday October 11, it was made clear that the consortium partners of PPE Medpro are prepared to enter into discussions with the Government, via the administrators, to reach a possible settlement.

“This was made very public, and the Government was made aware of it.

“Yet, very disappointingly, the Government has made no effort to respond or seek to enter into discussions.”

It is understood that the consortium remains keen to engage with the Government on a settlement.

At a trial in June and July, barristers for PPE Medpro said it had been “singled out for unfair treatment” and accused the Government of “buyer’s remorse”, claiming the gowns became defective because of the conditions in which they were kept after being delivered.

Lady Mone then said on X the day before the ruling that the Government had made her and Mr Barrowman the “poster couple for the PPE scandal” and claimed it had turned down multimillion-pound offers to settle the case.

She also then criticised Mrs Justice Cockerill’s ruling, calling it a win for the “establishment”, while Mr Barrowman said it was a “travesty of justice”.

PPE Medpro still insists that it provided all 25 million gowns and disputes that the gowns were not sterile, and has also stated that the court made its ruling on a technicality.

Lady Mone, who created the lingerie brand Ultimo, which she sold in 2014, was made a Conservative peer by David Cameron in 2015.

She has faced calls to relinquish her peerage following the ruling from several high-profile politicians, but said in a letter to Tory leader Kemi Badenoch that she has “no wish to return” to the House of Lords as a Conservative peer.

US tells Nato to ‘boost firepower’ ahead of Trump-Zelensky meeting

The US has urged Nato to boost its firepower amid a growing Russian threat to the military alliance.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said that Washington expects its allies to have “strong and real capabilities that adversaries respect”.

Speaking ahead of a meeting of Nato defence ministers held in Brussels, he urged members of the alliance to invest more into the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) arms initiative for Ukraine, which allows Nato to buy US weapons and supply them to Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is said to be “optimistic” about ending Putin’s war in Ukraine after his successful ceasefire negotiations in Gaza, according to the White House.

The US president, who has made concerted efforts to bring Putin to the negotiating table over the last three months, warned Russia that the war must end because it is not making the country look good earlier this week.

Trump said the Russian “economy is going to collapse” and claimed there were “long lines waiting for gasoline” – but Moscow has hit back, saying it has a “stable supply”.

Home secretary: Britain has lost control of its borders

Britain has lost control of its borders and is fuelling a loss of trust in politics, the home secretary will warn on Wednesday.

Shabana Mahmood is to issue the warning as she hosts her counterparts from across the Western Balkans, as well as other European allies, in London.

In one of the most stark assessments of the impact of small boat crossings on public trust in government, Ms Mahmood is to say it risks undermining “the credibility of the state itself”.

She will insist that Britain can only stem the flow of migrants arriving on small boats through international cooperation.

The summit is aimed at ensuring European nations strike new deals to tackle illegal migration.

At the gathering, the home secretary will say: “The public rightly expect that their government will be able to determine who enters their country, and who must leave.

“Today, in this country, and I know in many if not all of yours, that is not the case.

“And the failure to bring order to our borders is eroding trust not just in us as political leaders … but in the credibility of the state itself.”

She is also expected to hit out at the government’s political opponents, such as Reform UK’s Nigel Farage, accusing them of wanting to “turn inwards” and seek solutions to migration without the aid of other countries.

“Illegal migration is a shared threat which requires a strong, joined-up international response,” Ms Mahmood will say.

She will add: “To those who think the answer to the challenges that we face is to turn inwards, or back away from international cooperation, I say that in coming together as we are today, we will make all of our borders and our countries stronger.

“I am proud that the UK is leading the charge on a coordinated response to tackle organised crime and take down the vile people-smuggling gangs who put the value of human lives behind their own profits.”

The Western Balkans, which includes the countries of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, has become increasingly important to tackling illegal migration across Europe.

According to the Home Office, the region is becoming a major transit route for people smugglers, as well as those trafficking drugs across borders.

Some 22,000 people were smuggled by gangs along routes through the Western Balkans in 2024, the government department said.

The summit is expected to include a discussion on how to crack down on the gangs, including through more cooperation between Britain, Europe, and border police forces in the region.

Director general of the National Crime Agency, Graeme Biggar, will join the gathering in the afternoon to discuss work on disrupting gangs’ supply chains, while a session on combating violence against women and girls is also due to be held.

The Conservatives said Ms Mahmood’s warning was “rich coming from a government that has lost control of our borders”.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, added: “The first nine months of this year have been the worst in history for illegal immigrants crossing the channel.

“The government is accommodating more illegal immigrants in hotels than at the election, and have only returned a paltry 26 to France – over a time period when 14,000 have arrived.

“This is clearly no deterrent. The Conservatives would leave the ECHR, which will enable us to remove all illegal immigrants within a week of arrival. Then the crossings would soon stop.”

Hidden gem holidays: An insider guide to the Dominican Republic

The advent of autumn sees us thinking ahead to how to keep that sunshine feeling going through till winter; and there’s nothing better for keeping our spirits up than the idea of booking a holiday somewhere tropical. Enter the Dominican Republic, a warm and welcoming Caribbean nation perched to the south of the Turks and Caicos islands, and east of Jamaica. Known for its beautiful beaches, premium resorts and some legendary golf courses, there is, as the saying goes, genuinely something for everyone. If you want to make your holiday more than just a fly and flop, there’s plenty to explore, from Pico Duarte, the Caribbean’s tallest mountain, to historic sites in the country’s lively capital, Santo Domingo.

But first, where’s the best place to stay? Consider Costa Esmeralda, in the Miches area on the Island’s northeastern coast, a picturesque and pristine stretch of sand fringed with coconut palms that lean over the calm, turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Neighbouring Punta Cana and the wider Bávaro area combine to form what’s known as La Costa del Coco, or the Coconut Coast, an area of lavish, all-inclusive hotels which is also popular for windsurfing, kayaking and sailing.

Base yourself at Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort Curio by Hilton, an oceanfront resort boasting 800-metres of secluded beach on the shores of Playa Esmeralda. Located just 90 minutes’ drive from Punta Cana International Airport, the emphasis here is firmly on fun and relaxation. It features six restaurants, six bars and lounges, four pools and several water slides, and for those who like to keep fit while away, there’s a pickleball court, a paddle tennis court, and a full-service fitness centre which offers yoga and pilates classes. The Acana spa aims to reconnect soul and spirit with therapies inspired by ancient traditions, while you’ll also find a daily programme of art and cultural activities, plus live nightly entertainment. Bringing the kids? They’ll love spending time at the Coki Cove Kids Club or Palmchat Teens Club.

There’s a choice of rooms, suites or bungalows, all tastefully decorated with Caribbean flair, and offering stunning views. Select accommodations even feature private plunge pools, and Club Azure and bungalow guests have access to additional dining options and a rooftop pool. Talking of dining, you’ll experience a world of flavour, with menus inspired by the traditions of the Caribbean, Thailand, and the Amalfi Coast; think spicy, street-food inspired dishes, wood-fired pizzas, and local favourites. All this, and unlimited drinks and cocktails, too!

What’s more, booking with British Airways Holidays means you can secure your holiday now with a low deposit and spread the cost with flexible payments*. Once you’re ready to jet off, you can enjoy increased checked baggage allowance, a dedicated 24-hour helpline during your trip and the option of quality car hire with no hidden fees, 24-hour support and roadside assistance.

Upgrade to Club World and you’ll also get lounge access**, increased baggage allowance, priority check-in and boarding, and a spacious seat that converts to a fully flat bed. Members of The British Airways Club enjoy even more benefits in the form of collecting Avios (British Airways’ frequent flyer currency) and earning tier points, which unlock frequent flyer status and other benefits. Avios can also be used towards the cost of your holiday, presenting even greater value for money for members.

All this means you can totally relax during your stay at Hilton Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort, knowing you’re getting the quality and peace of mind you’d expect from a British Airways Holidays.

If you can tear yourself away from the resort – tough, we know – there’s lots to experience throughout the Dominican Republic. Take a day trip to Santo Domingo, one of the Caribbean’s oldest cities; its walled, cobblestoned, historic centre, the Zona Colonial, has impressive Spanish buildings dating back to the 16th century, including the Gothic Catedral Primada de America and the Alcázar de Colón palace, which sits on the laid-back, cafe-lined Plaza de España. The latter is now one of the city’s many museums, displaying striking medieval and Renaissance art. In the pretty Parque del Este is the Faro a Colón, a large mausoleum and museum dedicated to Christopher Columbus, who landed on the island known as Hispaniola (now divided into the Dominican Republic and Haiti) in 1492. For a taste of life in bygone times, visit Altos de Chavón, a fascinating replica of a 16th century Mediterranean village, featuring art galleries and studios, boutiques and a striking amphitheatre.

Looking for something a little more adventurous? Get back to nature at Los Haitises National Park, where you can explore mangrove forests, caves and unique rock formations, or the 27 waterfalls of Damajagua, a series of tumbling falls perfect for swimming, splashing and jumping into. And don’t miss the incredible Hoya Azul, a cenote, or sinkhole, with crystal-clear, aquamarine waters; it’s located in Scape Park, a natural adventure park featuring lush jungles and jaw-dropping cliffs, where you can go zip-lining or explore the caves. There is whale watching in Samana Bay – humpback whales can be found here during their breeding season, January to March. While Lago Enriquillo, a salt lake with surrounding wetlands, is home to crocodiles and various bird species, including flamingos. All in all, your holiday to the Dominican Republic is guaranteed to be unforgettable; so get booking now!

British Airways Holidays packages include a generous baggage allowance for each customer and come with full ATOL protection for complete peace of mind. Secure your holiday to Hilton Zemi Miches Punta with a low deposit and enjoy flexible payments until you fly*.

*Based on two sharing. Full balance due seven weeks before departure. Subject to availability. T&Cs apply.

**Subject to availability

Groundbreaking ‘super vaccine’ could stop cancer from spreading

A groundbreaking “super” vaccine could stop cancer growing and spreading entirely.

Researchers say they have developed a novel “nanoparticle-based” jab that can prevent melanoma, pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancer in mice.

The study showed up to 88 per cent of the vaccinated mice remained tumour-free, depending on the type of cancer – while the disease’s spread was reduced and even completely stopped in some cases.

The new research demonstrates not only that the drug can shrink and clear cancer tumours in the rodents, but also that it can work preventively. The experimental drug has not yet been trialled on humans.

Prabhani Atukorale, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which led the study, said: “By engineering these nanoparticles to activate the immune system via multi-pathway activation that combines with cancer-specific antigens, we can prevent tumour growth with remarkable survival rates.”

Vaccines generally work by delivering an antigen, the piece of the disease-causing pathogen, such as cancer cells, and an adjuvant, a substance that helps the immune system recognise the antigen and eliminate it.

To overcome difficulties faced in finding suitable adjuvants in cancer treatment, the researchers at UMass Amherst said they developed a lipid nanoparticle-based “super adjuvant”, which delivers two different adjuvants.

Three weeks after they were “super” vaccinated, the mice were exposed to melanoma cells, with 80 per cent of them remaining tumour-free, while none of those given traditional jabs survived for longer than 35 days, according to the findings.

The jab was also shown to protect against the spread of cancer to the lungs. “Metastases across the board is the highest hurdle for cancer,” said Ms Atukorale, who is co-author of the paper. “The vast majority of tumour mortality is still due to metastases, and it almost trumps us working in difficult-to-reach cancers, such as melanoma and pancreatic cancer.” But in the trial, none of the “super” vaccinated mice developed lung tumours, while all of the other mice did.

However, the researchers then conducted a second test. In the first part of the study, antigens that matched the type of cancer were developed and used, but in the second, they used killed cancer cells taken directly from the tumour mass, called tumour lysate.

After the mice were “super” vaccinated with the nanoparticle lysate jab, they were exposed to various types of cancer cells, and the results were even more impressive.

The tumour rejection rates were 88 per cent for pancreatic cancer, 75 per cent for breast cancer, and 69 per cent for melanoma, with all remaining tumour-free when the researchers tested if the disease would spread.

“The tumour-specific T-cell responses that we are able to generate – that is really the key behind the survival benefit,” said Griffin Kane, postdoctoral research associate at UMass Amherst and co-author of the paper.

The researchers, whose study was published in Cell Reports Medicine last week, said that their design “offers a platform approach that could be used across multiple cancer types”.

California judge halts Trump’s mass lay-offs amid government shutdown

A federal judge in California temporarily blocked the Trump administration from firing federal workers during the government shutdown Wednesday, saying the government had “taken advantage” of the lapse in funding to conduct them.

District Judge Susan Illston issued the emergency temporary injunction in favor of labor unions representing the federal employees, just days after the Office of Management and Budget announced roughly 4,100 federal workers had been given reduction-in-force notifications.

“The evidence suggests that the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management have taken advantage of the lapse in government spending, in government functioning, to assume all bets are off, the laws don’t apply to them anymore,” Illston said during a court hearing.

Under Illston’s ruling, the administration cannot issue any more reduction-in-force notifications to federal employees during or because of the shutdown.

Eight agencies – the Departments of Commerce, Education, Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Homeland Security, and Treasury – had conducted layoffs after President Donald Trump threatened to use the shutdown to slash more of the workforce to pressure Democrats who boycotted Republicans’ temporary funding bill.

Illston’s ruling arrives ahead of what was expected to be more cuts to the federal workforce.

Vought said Wednesday on the Charlie Kirk Show that the administration wanted to be “very aggressive” in “shuttering the bureaucracy” and could slash more than 10,000 federal jobs during the shutdown.

Many of those targeted were working on programs or part of agencies that Trump has associated with Democrats, such as expanding renewable energy, overseeing grants that support low-income communities and homelessness programs, or handling special education services.

Unions representing the federal workers filed a lawsuit against the administration in September, ahead of the shutdown, in an attempt to thwart Trump’s threats.

But the administration followed through on its threats anyway.

The unions representing workers pushed back, arguing that OMB Director Russell Vought violated the law by improperly notifying employees of their layoffs and that they were politically motivated.

They also said the administration could violate the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits the government from spending money not already appropriated by Congress, by allocating promised severance payments to laid off workers.

During Wednesday’s court hearing, Illston highlighted that the administration admittedly made “many errors” in conducting the reduction-in-force notifications.

“I keep getting revised declarations under oath from people who say, ‘Well, I didn’t mean the last one. I was off by about 2,000, because it’s a fluid situation,’” Illston said, adding that the situation was due to the administration rushing through decisions.

After sending layoff notices last week, hundreds of employees from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were told they received “incorrect” notifications, an HHS official said in a statement to The Independent.

“This decision affirms that these threatened mass firings are likely illegal and blocks layoff notices from going out,” Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said in a statement.

“Federal workers have already faced enough uncertainty from the administration’s relentless attacks on the important jobs they do to keep us safe and healthy. They deserve respect for the work they do – not to be treated as political pawns by the billionaires running this administration who see workers as expendable,” Saunders added.