Dropping China spying charges leaves Commons open to espionage, says Speaker

The Speaker of the Commons has said the decision to drop charges against two men accused of spying for China could leave Parliament vulnerable to espionage.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle told the Times that he took the security of the house “incredibly seriously” and was considering launching a private action against Christopher Berry and Christopher Cash.

The pair were charged under the Official Secrets Act after they were accused of gathering and providing information prejudicial to the safety and interests of the UK between 28 December 2021 and 3 February 2023.

They consistently denied the charges, while Beijing has called the allegations “malicious slander”.

The decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to retract the charges has been criticised by the Home Office, which said it was “disappointing that they will not face trial given the seriousness of the allegations”.

The prime minister’s official spokesman said “any attempt by a foreign power to infiltrate our Parliament or democracy is unacceptable”.

Sir Lindsay told the Commons that he was “very unhappy” about the decision, and said: “The fact that it has taken two years, until today, for somebody to withdraw this case is not good enough.”

He told the Times: “I believe this leaves the door open to foreign actors trying to spy on the House. This door must be closed hard.”

The newspaper reported that the Speaker had written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to express his concerns.

The CPS announced the charges wre being dropped early last week, as the “evidential threshold” had not been reached.

Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, who leads the CPS, said his team had considered “alternative offences” but concluded that “none were suitable”.

Mr Parkinson assured shadow home secretary Chris Philp in a letter that there had been “no outside pressure” informing the decision.

Mr Berry and Mr Cash were originally due to appear at Woolwich Crown Court from 6 October.

Speaking outside the Old Bailey following the decision to cease legal proceedings on Monday, Mr Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, said he was “relieved that justice has been served”.

Mr Berry, a teacher from Witney in Oxfordshire, and Mr Cash, of Whitechapel in London, were arrested in March 2023 as part of an investigation that involved counter-terror police.

They were accused of collecting information which was “calculated to be, might be, or were intended to be, directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy”.

They were charged under the Official Secrets Act in April 2024.

Mr Cash was understood to have had access to several Conservative MPs, reportedly including former security minister Tom Tugendhat and then-foreign affairs committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns.

At the time, a Chinese embassy spokesperson said “the claim that China is suspected of ‘stealing British intelligence’ is completely fabricated”.

They urged the UK “to stop anti-China political manipulation and stop putting on such a self-staged political farce”.