2nd Report - Espionage cases and the Official Secrets Acts

Select Committee
National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) HC 1414 3 December 2025
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 21 items (9 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 21 of 21 classified)
Accepted 12
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 4
Not Addressed 3
Rejected 1
Government response
2nd Special Report - Espionage cases and the Official Secrets Acts: Government and Crown Prosecution Service Responses · published 12 Feb 2026
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Recommendations & Conclusions

4 results
6 Conclusion Acknowledged
We found evidence of misaligned expectations which contributed to the decision to discontinue the case.
Conclusion
We found evidence of misaligned expectations which contributed to the decision to discontinue the case. In particular, the Deputy National Security Adviser (DNSA) said he was clear from the outset that he would only provide evidence in line with Government … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the Committee's finding of misaligned expectations concerning the DNSA's evidence and his capacity as a witness, and details the DNSA's understanding of his role while committing to develop new guidance to provide future clarity and improve coordination.
Cabinet Office
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7 Conclusion Acknowledged
We did not find evidence of deliberate efforts to obstruct the prosecution.
Conclusion
We did not find evidence of deliberate efforts to obstruct the prosecution. The sequence of events nevertheless raises some substantial questions of whether the Government officials and counsel working on the DNSA’s witness statements could have found an alternative formulation … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government welcomed the committee's finding that there was no evidence of deliberate efforts to obstruct the prosecution and that the Attorney General acted with constitutional propriety, but did not address the committee's questions regarding alternative evidence formulations or the CPS's legal conclusions.
Cabinet Office
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14 Conclusion Acknowledged
We have considered the circumstances of the meeting held on 1 September and note the...
Conclusion
We have considered the circumstances of the meeting held on 1 September and note the proximity of the Crown Prosecution Service decision to discontinue the case two days later. We did not find evidence of improper influence or deliberate efforts … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government welcomed the committee's finding that there was no evidence of improper influence or deliberate efforts to obstruct the prosecution, and thanked them for the clarification regarding the September 1st meeting.
Cabinet Office
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15 Conclusion Acknowledged
We are satisfied that the current Attorney General acted with constitutional propriety.
Conclusion
We are satisfied that the current Attorney General acted with constitutional propriety. We are also satisfied that there was nothing inappropriate about the processes for obtaining Law Officer consent to prosecute, or the subsequent process for informing the Attorney that … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government welcomed the committee's finding that there was no evidence of improper influence and expressed pleasure that the committee was satisfied the Attorney General and Law Officers acted with constitutional propriety.
Cabinet Office
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