British authorities on Monday said that they were dropping a criminal case against two men who had been accused of spying for China in the UK, including a former researcher who worked in the parliament.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said it was “extremely disappointing” that Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, would not face trial, but prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to proceed. Both men have denied wrongdoing.
The men had been charged in April last year with contravening the Official Secrets Act by providing information or documents that could be “useful to an enemy” and “prejudicial to the safety or interests” of the UK between late 2021 and February 2023.
Photo: Reuters
Cash was a parliamentary researcher who led the China Research Group. He worked closely with senior lawmakers focused on security and foreign affairs from the Conservative Party, which was in power at the time. The speaker of the House of Commons previously confirmed that he was a parliamentary pass holder at the time of the alleged offenses.
Berry is reportedly an academic based in Oxfordshire who had taught in China since 2015.
They were accused of being in contact with each other and a person suspected of being a Chinese intelligence agent.
The men were due to go on trial next month at London’s Central Criminal Court, but prosecutors on Monday said that the case could not continue.
“The evidence in this case has been kept under continuous review and it has now been determined that the evidential standard for the offense indicted is no longer met,” the Crown Prosecution Service said.
The Chinese embassy in the UK has called the allegations fabricated.
“It is extremely disappointing that these individuals will not face trial,” Starmer’s office said. “Any attempt by a foreign power to infiltrate our parliament or democracy is unacceptable.”
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