Sir Keir Starmer’s government repeatedly said it wanted a “positive” relationship with China in witness statements needed to support the prosecution of two men accused of spying on MPs for Beijing, which ultimately collapsed.

The three witness statements, which Starmer agreed to publish on Wednesday in a bid to defuse growing criticism over his government’s handling of the case, did state that China was a threat to the UK’s “economic security” but also repeatedly sought to “emphasise” Britain’s desire for positive relations.

The collapse of the case last month has prompted allegations that the Labour government undermined prosecutors by declining to deliver enough evidence to successfully define China as an “enemy” for the purposes of a prosecution under the Official Secrets Act.