Downing Street has vehemently denied that the government had anything to do with the prosecution of two individuals who were suspected of espionage for China failing. In September, prosecutors dismissed charges against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, who both refute the accusations. This decision drew outrage from MPs and ministers.
The press secretary for Number 10 stated that “the suggestion that the government withheld evidence, withdrew witnesses or restricted the ability of a witness to draw on a particular bit of evidence are all untrue. It follows the Sunday Times’ allegation that, prior to the charges being withdrawn, senior Whitehall officials met early last month to discuss the trial.
In April 2024, when the Conservatives were in power, Mr. Berry and Mr. Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, were charged under the Official Secrets Act. Between December 2021 and February 2023, they were charged with collecting and disseminating information that was detrimental to the state’s interests and safety. The BBC has been informed by a number of trial-related sources that the CPS would not have decided to charge the two unless it was certain it had sufficient evidence to satisfy the Act’s threshold.
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