A China teacup

The spying case looks more like an injustice than a serious threat to national security

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Chris Cash, a parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, a teacher who worked in China, are alleged to have passed information about British politicians to a consultancy firm in Hangzhou. In turn, it funnelled what it knew to high-ranking officials in the Chinese Communist party.

The two Britons were arrested in 2023 and then charged with offences under the Official Secrets Act in 2024. Politicians were told the case was a “slam-dunk”. Then, last month, Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, dropped the case, saying the government had failed to provide a crucial witness statement branding China a national security threat. Last week, the government published its witness statements to show it had.