Christopher Cash, 29, and Christopher Berry, 32, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday, charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act on behalf of China. The pair spoke only to confirm their names and addresses during the brief hearing.
Arrested in March last year, the Crown Prosecution Service formally announced charges this week, accusing them of providing prejudicial information to Beijing. Berry is alleged to have committed the offence between December 2021 and February 2023, while Cash is accused of doing so between January 2022 and December 2023. Cash has previously stated he is “completely innocent”.
The men have been released on bail. As a condition of his bail, Cash is prohibited from entering the parliamentary estate or contacting any parliamentarians except his local MP on constituency matters.
A Chinese embassy spokesperson dismissed the allegations as “completely fabricated” and “malicious slander”. The case is expected to proceed to trial at a later date.
