By REBECCA CAMBER, CRIME AND SECURITY EDITOR and MARTIN BECKFORD, POLICY EDITOR Published: 23:16 BST, 17 September 2025 | Updated: 23:36 BST, 17 September 2025
Calls for an inquiry into the dropping of a China spy case grew yesterday amid fears it has made Britain a 'soft target' for enemy states.Stephen Parkinson, the Director of Public Prosecutions, faces questions over the sudden dismissal just weeks before it reached the courts.In an extraordinary row, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is considering a private prosecution and other MPs are consulting lawyers about the prospect of suing the suspects involved for breach of privacy.Former parliamentary aide Chris Cash, 30, was arrested in 2023 alongside British teacher Chris Berry, 33, and charged with passing secrets to Beijing.But on Monday, the controversial case was ditched at the 11th hour with no explanation.Sources have told the Daily Mail that the Government might have wanted to avoid the deputy national security adviser giving evidence in the case – as he would have had to declare in court that the UK labelled China a hostile state. This would be seen as politically embarrassing at a time when Labour is trying to rebuild relations with Beijing, with Sir Keir Starmer expected to visit next year.Now shadow national security minister Alicia Kearns has called for an inquiry, saying: 'This episode risks sending a troubling signal to hostile states engaged in espionage against the UK that Parliament is a soft target.' Former parliamentary aide Chris Cash, 30, (pictured) was arrested in 2023 alongside British teacher Chris Berry, 33, and charged with passing secrets to BeijingMPs and police are said to be furious at the decision, fearing China's spies will regard it as 'open season'.Mr Cash, who was reportedly the director of an influential China policy group, had been accused of passing on 'information that might be useful to an enemy'. After a lengthy police investigation, he and Mr Berry were charged with espionage offences under the Official Secrets Act. Both denied the charges.Their trial was due to commence next month, but Prosecutor Tom Little KC told the Old Bailey on Monday that 'we simply cannot continue to prosecute this case'.A source yesterday claimed the Speaker is 'annoyed to say the least' and is looking at a potential private prosecution.On Tuesday, Mr Cash said: 'My arrest has destroyed my life and the career I loved.'
