Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the Oral Statement of 15 September 2025 on Official Secrets Act, Official Report, col 1188-1189, whether the Law Officers have had discussions with representatives of the House of Commons on the potential merits of private prosecution.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The Law Officers are aware of the possibility of a private prosecution, but have not engaged in discussions on its potential merits with any representative of the House of Commons.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, with reference to the Oral Statement of 15 September 2025 on Official Secrets Act, whether the Crown Prosecution Service made a request for evidence to be submitted from the Government that the (a) Chinese Government and (b) Chinese Communist Party was an enemy of the UK, in the context of prosecution under Section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
While the outcome in this case is of course very disappointing, I am also confident that the National Security Act 2023, which was not in force at the time of the conduct concerned, now provides us with enhanced powers that properly reflect the modern-day threats we face.
There is now a wealth of material and evidence, including from the Attorney General, which has been provided to the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy’s inquiry into these matters and which cover the requests for evidence and responses provided.