A senior UK security adviser has warned that China poses a "threat" to the country following an investigation into two Britons accused of providing sensitive information to Beijing's intelligence apparatus, The Times reported.
The defendants are Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, an academic, who were monitored by the authorities after making contact with a citizen identified by the alias “Alex,” an alleged agent of the Chinese regime.
Berry traveled to Hangzhou, China, in 2022, where he met with a senior Chinese Communist Party official, deputy head of the Central National Security Commission led by President Xi Jinping.
In messages reviewed by investigators, Cash warned Berry: “You are in spy territory now.”
According to the British newspaper, the evidence gathered showed that Berry provided Alex with at least one written report within thirteen hours of being requested.
Matthew Collins, deputy national security adviser, told the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that the speed and nature of the information suggested its use in decision-making within the Chinese intelligence apparatus. A substantial part of Alex’s and the Chinese leadership’s interest was to understand the internal structure of the British government, possible cabinet changes, and the official position onsanctions against Chinese companies, particularly those accused of using forced labor.
“It is extremely unlikely that one of China's most senior officials would have received Berry unless he was considered capable of providing valuable information,” Collins stressed in the documents seen by The Times.
Prosecutors also examined the communication in which Berry reported on the likelihood of Tom Tugendhat, then a Conservative MP, getting a cabinet post with Rishi Sunak as prime minister, information that Alex then used to tailor recommendations on Chinese policy.
Cash also shared information about Jeremy Hunt's withdrawal from the Tory leadership race and his eventual endorsement of Tugendhat.
“Very, very confidential (definitely don’t share with your new employer) ,” he warned.
Prosecutors identified the issues sought as including advance notice of the implementation of a ban on British imports from Xinjiang, a province singled out by international organizations for crimes and human rights violations against its Uyghur population. Berry provided Alex with details of the estimated implementation date for the measure before it was made official. She also provided confidential information about a high-level government review of the procurement process for the Newport Wafer plant, a centerpiece of the UK semiconductor industry.
In his reports to the prosecution, Collins noted that"the transmission of this information to China would put the security or interests of the United Kingdom at risk, giving the Chinese state a tactical and strategic advantage." For the official, the material provided went beyond mere political commentary and fell into the category of sensitive intelligence.
Collins went further, describing the growing activity of large-scale espionage operations directed by China, warning of the impact on economic prosperity and the integrity of democratic institutions.
He also cited cyberattack campaigns — attributed to three intelligence agencies linked to China's Ministry of State Security — and the sophistication of the methods used in these interventions, which he said could produce “destructive consequences.”
According to The Times, Collins specified that the British Parliament had been in the sights of these campaigns, identifying systematic attempts to recruit collaborators or infiltrate by approaching legislative staff.
The case was closed because the government failed to formally declare China a “ threat to national security,” a fact that the prosecution identified as necessary to continue the criminal proceedings.
The British newspaper noted that while the official statements were direct about the nature of the danger, they also reflected the government's desire to maintain a space for economic and diplomatic dialogue with Beijing. The official reports stated the intention to"seek a positive relationship with China to strengthen cooperation and stability," turning this ambivalence into a defense argument against the accusation.
Both Cash and Berry denied any wrongdoing. Cash expressed frustration with the case's closure, which prevented him from presenting his defense at trial, emphasizing,"I haven't had the opportunity to prove my innocence in public, and I shouldn't face a trial in the media."
He insisted that the information shared was merely rumors or publicly available information and asserted that he had received no compensation of any kind."I have lost the career I loved because of an accusation of which I am completely innocent."
The controversy reached the heart of the government and Parliament. Prime Minister Keir Starmer ordered the full release of the Collins and prosecution documents so that MPs could access the full details of the case and assess the institution's handling.
Starmer knew the case could collapse two days before the CPS's official announcement and read out the key statements on the day they were released to the public.
The Crown Prosecution Service, led by Stephen Parkinson, was summoned by various parliamentary committees to justify the decision to dismiss the case. Several lawmakers questioned why the case was not strengthened with additional evidence or brought before a jury.
Parkinson argued that while the material collected met 95% of the evidentiary standard, there was still “a missing 5%” that could only provide a firmer government position on China’s threat status.
