Bobby Dean

Bobby Dean

Liberal Democrat — Carshalton and Wallington

Speaking in the House of Commons on 13 October 2025

Debate

Security Update: Official Secrets Act Case

Contribution

I admire the Government’s attempts to pin this on the previous Conservative Government. It is an endeavour in which I would usually join them, but on this occasion I cannot, because the argument simply does not stack up. The argument seems to hinge on the Conservative Government’s classification of China as a threat to national security. That is not a formal classification, but one that needs to be substantiated. The Government seem to be arguing that it was not because, for instance, in the integrated review refresh of 2023, China was merely described as an “epoch-defining…challenge”. However, the same paragraph in that report talks about the Chinese Communist party as presenting “state threats to the UK’s democracy, economy and society”. Reports by the Intelligence and Security Committee of the same year talk about how China’s “ambition at a global level…poses a national security threat to the UK.” We have heard other testimonies today from MI5 and others. My question to the Government is: was this the sort of evidence that was provided to the CPS? If not, why not? Whose decision was it not to present that kind of evidence?

More from Bobby Dean

Other recent Hansard contributions by the same speaker.

About Hansard

Hansard is the official verbatim record of proceedings in the UK Parliament. Every word spoken in the Commons and Lords is recorded and published — this page is a single contribution from that record.

For Bobby Dean's full parliamentary record including voting history, expenses and all other contributions, see the Bobby Dean report card.