Overview

• Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, charged in 2023 with offences alleging they collected and communicated information useful to an enemy, were told on Monday their October trial would not proceed after the prosecution said the evidential test was no longer met.
• Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said the case was halted due to an evidential failure and affirmed, citing prosecution counsel Tom Little KC, that there was no outside pressure on the decision.
• Parkinson noted the difficulty of proving China was an “enemy” under the 1911 law and said prosecutors had considered but ruled out alternative charges, pointing to newer provisions in the National Security Act 2023.
• Downing Street called the discontinuation extremely disappointing, and security minister Dan Jarvis warned about the continuing threat posed by Chinese espionage.
• MP Alicia Kearns urged an inquiry into the collapse of the case, and the Daily Mail reported that Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is considering a private prosecution.