In the latest edition of Brig Files, we explain the details of the UK’s China spy case.
The Trial
Downing Street has been accused of letting China ‘off the hook’ after a trial regarding two alleged spies was dropped.
The two men were accused of sharing political intel with a Chinese intelligence agent around December 2021 to February 2023.
One of the accused, Christopher Cash, was a parliamentary researcher and had direct access to many Conservative MPs. Christopher Berry, who was also accused, had lived in China and was suspected of passing on information gathered by Cash. Both men previously pleaded ‘not-guilty’ to their charges.
A lack of evidence provided by Downing Street caused the case to close prematurely. This was due to legal requirements set out under the Official Secrets Act, requiring evidence of Chinese security threats.
Accusations
There is concern that the trial being dropped was a way of bowing and scraping to gain China’s favour. This concern comes from the potential economic threat of China withdrawing investments and reducing trade with the UK.
There have been past cases where China has financially retaliated to perceived government offences, meaning concern is not irrational.
In 2020, Australia’s government openly backed an investigation that aimed to uncover the direct cause of COVID-19. Retaliation was swift, as China consequentially placed high tariffs on Australian wine, barley, and beef exports. The tariffs on barley weren’t removed until 2023, notably when Australia was under new government leadership.
Downing Street declines all accusations of foul play. A government spokesperson explicitly stated that the decision to drop the case was made directly by the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service).
Witness Statements
Witness statements released on October 15 show that the SO15 (the Counter Terrorism Command branch of the police) uncovered messages between Berry, Cash, and a person called “Alex”. Alex requested specific information from Berry, encouraging him to take advantage of Cash’s closeness to politically sensitive information.
Berry sent Alex politically sensitive information including which individuals were likely to become ministers in China-relevant departments, prospects of import bans, and other non-public government discussions.
Alex also requested information regarding ties between the UK and Taiwan. China has clearly stated it does not approve of international relations with Taiwan as tensions rise over China’s intention to reclaim the country. This would make any intel of the UK’s stance on the situation of interest to China.
Additionally, in July 2022 Berry messaged Cash that he “met with a senior CCP leader”. This elicited the response “you’re in spy territory now” from Cash.
Is UK Security Under Threat?
There were “204 ‘nationally significant’ cyber attacks against the UK in the 12 months to August 2025 – a sharp rise from 89 in the previous year.” Research from last year shows that many attacks in the UK were APTs (Advanced Persistent Threats) with the NCSC listing China as a potential cyber threat.
China has been considered an APT in the past. In 2021, Microsoft Sharepoint was targeted by three major China based and state-backed hackers giving them access to UK citizens private data.
The increased cyber security threats in conjunction with China’s desire to build a new embassy in London, has raised concerns within the MI5, NCSC, and across parliament.
Featured Image Credit : Sergeant Paul Shaw via Wikimedia. Brig Files added by Brig.
Politics & Sociology student
