Two men charged with spying for China, including one former researcher at the UK’s House of Parliament, have been granted bail following a court appearance in London.
Christopher Cash, 29, and Christopher Berry, 32, were charged with violating the Official Secrets Act by providing information that could be “useful to an enemy” and “prejudicial to the safety or interests” of the UK between late 2021 and February 2023.
It is alleged both men were in contact with each other and with a person suspected of being a Chinese intelligence agent.
The Chinese Embassy has called the allegations “completely fabricated” and “malicious slander.” It urged the UK to “stop anti-China political manipulation.”
Neither man entered a plea during their court appearance on Friday.
Cash, a parliamentary researcher who worked with senior lawmakers from the governing Conservatives, was ordered not to enter Parliament or contact members of the House of Commons.
His former colleagues include Alicia Kearns, who now heads the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee, and her predecessor, Tom Tugendhat, now security minister.
Berry is reportedly an academic based in Oxfordshire who has taught in China since 2015.
The defendants were ordered not to travel outside the UK or contact each other.
The case was adjourned to 10 May for a preliminary hearing at London’s Central Criminal Court.
The pair were charged the same day that three people were arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying for China and arranging to transfer information on technology with potential military uses.
Also on Monday, an assistant to a prominent German far-right lawmaker in the European Parliament was arrested on suspicion of spying for China.
British intelligence authorities have ratcheted up their warnings about Beijing’s covert activities in recent years.
