Overview
- At the Old Bailey, prosecutor Tom Little said the evidential standard was no longer met and the CPS offered no further evidence, leading the judge to record not guilty verdicts for both men.
- Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, were charged under the Official Secrets Act over alleged activity from December 2021 to February 2023 after arrests in March 2023, and both consistently denied wrongdoing.
- Downing Street called the outcome extremely disappointing and Security Minister Dan Jarvis stressed the CPS acted independently as the Foreign Office contacted China’s embassy to warn against interference in UK democracy.
- MPs demanded a substantive explanation and wrote to Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson, while the National Protective Security Authority will issue new guidance to parliamentarians and MI5 and the NCSC review protections for high‑risk individuals.
- Debate has focused on whether the Act’s need to prove assistance to an "enemy" made the case untenable, with ministers noting the newer National Security Act removes that wording as the CPS has not detailed its reasoning.