2 Britons accused of espionage for China face judicial proceedings

Former researcher Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry are accused of providing prejudicial secrets to China in violation of the Official Secrets Act.

Cash and Berry attended a brief hearing at the Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, during which they solely confirmed their names and addresses. No plea was entered by them.

Both were released on bail pending a May 10 hearing at the Old Bailey court in London. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring instructed Cash not to contact any lawmakers except his local representative, and to only discuss local issues. He was also instructed not to contact any other parliamentary staff.

Anxiety has grown throughout Europe over China's alleged espionage activity, which Beijing has repeatedly denied, and Britain has become more vocal about its concerns in recent months.

According to a statement released on Tuesday by Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, allegations of Chinese espionage in Europe were "fabricated" and "intended to discredit and stifle China."

According to a September report in the Sunday Times, Cash was apprehended for espionage charges during his tenure as a researcher in parliament on behalf of Alicia Kearns, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a Conservative lawmaker.
At the time, a lawyer for the arrested man issued a statement denying the spying allegations without confirming their client's identity.

Cash was listed as working for Kearns in parliamentary documents beginning in early 2023.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak referred to China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea as an "axis of authoritarian states" during a speech this week in Warsaw.

"Chinese state-affiliated actors have conducted malicious cyber campaigns against British MPs (members of parliament)."

The British government summoned the Chinese Embassy's chargé d'affaires in London last month in response to allegations that hackers backed by the Chinese government stole data from the elections watchdog and conducted surveillance against parliamentarians.

China denied the allegations, calling them "completely fabricated".

The government also stated in September that Chinese spies were targeting British officials in sensitive positions in politics, defense, and business as part of an increasingly sophisticated spying operation to gain access to secrets.

Source: Reuters