On Monday, September 15, 2025, a dramatic chapter in British legal and political life came to a close as prosecutors dropped all charges against Christopher Cash, a 30-year-old former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, a 33-year-old teacher from Oxfordshire, who had both been accused of spying for China. The pair, who had consistently denied any wrongdoing under the Official Secrets Act, were visibly relieved as proceedings ended at London’s Old Bailey court. For Cash, the end of the ordeal brought a sense of liberation after what he described as a "nightmare" lasting two years.
According to BBC and several other major outlets, the men were originally accused of gathering and providing information "prejudicial to the safety and interests of the state" between December 28, 2021 and February 3, 2023. The investigation, which involved counter-terror police, had led to their arrests in March 2023 and set the stage for a high-profile trial that was scheduled to begin at Woolwich Crown Court on October 6, 2025.
But as prosecutor Tom Little told the court, "We simply cannot continue to prosecute this case." The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had determined that the evidence collected did not meet the threshold required to proceed to trial. "The evidence in this case has been kept under continuous review, and it has now been determined that the evidential standard for the offence indicted is no longer met. No further evidence will be offered," the CPS stated, as reported by The Independent.
Standing outside the Old Bailey, Christopher Cash expressed both relief and hope for the future. "I am relieved that justice has been served," he said, reflecting on the toll the allegations had taken. He called the past two years a "nightmare" and added, "I hope lessons are learned from this sorry episode." His defense counsel, Henry Blaxland KC, noted that colleagues from the China Research Group (CRG)—the parliamentary group Cash was associated with—had "expressed disbelief" at his arrest. "We only hope that he will be able to rebuild his life," Blaxland added.
Berry, for his part, is an academic who had taught in China since 2015. The prosecution had alleged that the two men were not only in contact with each other but also with a person suspected of being a Chinese intelligence agent. Both men, however, maintained their innocence from the outset, pleading not guilty and denying any breach of the Official Secrets Act, which prohibits providing information or documents that could be "useful to an enemy" or "prejudicial to the safety or interests" of the UK.
The case had attracted intense media scrutiny, not least because of Cash’s connections to senior Conservative politicians, including former security minister Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kearns, who chaired the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. According to The Guardian, Cash’s role in the CRG gave him access to several MPs, fueling speculation and concern about the potential for sensitive information to be compromised.
From the very beginning, the Chinese government vehemently denied any involvement. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy dismissed the allegations as "malicious slander," insisting, "the claim that China is suspected of 'stealing British intelligence' is completely fabricated." They urged the UK government "to stop anti-China political manipulation and stop putting on such a self-staged political farce." China’s stance was echoed throughout the proceedings, with officials repeatedly characterizing the espionage accusations as "hype."
Despite the collapse of the case, the UK government’s reaction was one of disappointment. The Home Office released a statement noting, "It is disappointing that they will not face trial given the seriousness of the allegations." The statement continued, "We will continue to use the full range of tools and powers to guard against malign activity." This reflects an ongoing concern within Whitehall about the threat of foreign espionage, particularly from China.
Indeed, the Cash and Berry case is not an isolated incident. Over the past several years, the UK has been increasingly vocal about what it describes as a sophisticated Chinese espionage campaign targeting officials across political, defense, and business sectors. In December 2024, MI5 issued a warning that Christine Lee, an alleged Chinese agent, had infiltrated Parliament and provided financial support to a Labour MP, among others. Senior judges upheld MI5’s decision to issue this warning. That same month, Yang Tengbo, a Chinese businessman, was banned from the UK for allegedly spying—though both Lee and Yang have denied the accusations.
The broader context, as reported by Politico and The Guardian, is one of heightened vigilance. British intelligence agencies have repeatedly sounded alarms about the risk of foreign interference. Parliament’s China Research Group itself was established in response to growing concerns about Beijing’s influence in Westminster and beyond. The government maintains that it will not let down its guard, even as it faces criticism from some quarters for what has been described as "anti-China political manipulation."
Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, presiding over the case, was unequivocal in her final assessment. She told the court she was "quite satisfied" with the decision to drop the charges and entered not guilty verdicts for both men. It was a decisive end to a case that had cast a long shadow over the lives of Cash and Berry—and one that has left many questions about the balance between national security and civil liberties, as well as the challenge of distinguishing between legitimate vigilance and political theater.
For now, both men are free, but the episode has left scars. Cash’s hope that "lessons are learned from this sorry episode" resonates amid a climate of suspicion and geopolitical rivalry. Meanwhile, the UK government’s commitment to "guard against malign activity" signals that the debate over foreign influence and espionage is far from over. As global tensions persist, the line between security and suspicion will likely remain a contested—and deeply human—story in the halls of Westminster and beyond.
