The director of public prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, is facing cross-party demands to provide a fuller explanation after a China-related espionage trial collapsed last month. The chairs of four parliamentary committees – home affairs, foreign affairs, justice and national security – have jointly written to Parkinson calling for clarity on why charges were dropped against two men under the Official Secrets Act.
The case involved Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, a teacher, who were accused of spying for China. The Crown Prosecution Service abandoned the prosecution in September, just weeks before the trial was due to begin, because the government had not supplied sufficient evidence that China posed a “threat to the national security of the UK” – a legal requirement under the 1911 Act, since repealed.
MI5 director general Ken McCallum expressed frustration at the decision, saying he was “disappointed” that opportunities to prosecute national security threats were not followed through. He also revealed that the security service had disrupted a separate threat from Beijing within the past week. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer reiterated his disappointment and insisted the government had no involvement in the CPS’s decision.
MPs are now preparing to question Parkinson in person, while the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy and the Intelligence and Security Committee – which has statutory powers to compel witnesses – have both launched inquiries. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp has also written to Parkinson demanding full correspondence between the CPS and the government over the evidence.
