Did the government willingly collapse the China spy trial?

The Conservatives have accused Keir Starmer and those around him of wilfully forcing the collapse of a trial involving two young British men accused of spying for the Chinese government - allegations they deny. Security minister Dan Jarvis got to his feet in the Commons last night to angrily deny Kemi Badenoch's attacks - it's all the fault of the last Conservative government was his counter charge. So why exactly did the case collapse? Did those in government really choose to protect economic interests over national security? Or could this be a case of cock up rather than conspiracy?

Later, which party leader emerged best from the conference season. And what might this tell us about the public hunger for change?

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Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall – three of the UK’s top journalists – host an award-winning daily news podcast: The News Agents.

They’re not just here to tell you what's happening, but why. Expect astute analysis and explanation of the day's news – and a healthy dose of scepticism and the ability to laugh at it all when needed.

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• No. of episodes: 940
• Latest episode: 2025-10-17
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