China's ambassador summoned to Foreign Office to be warned against Beijing interfering in British democracy

Cameron visit to Central Asia – Day 1

China’s ambassador to London Zheng Zeguang has been summoned to the Foreign Office to be warned against Beijing intefering in British democracy.

The move on Monday came after a former parliamentary researcher and a second man were charged with spying for China after an investigation by counter-terrorism police.

A Foreign Office source said: “The Government does not comment on specific cases while there is an on-going legal process.

“The UK Government condemns unequivocally any activity that undermines our Parliamentary democracy. UK national security is our top priority.

“The Foreign Secretary instructed officials to call-in the Chinese Ambassador to the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office to set out the UK’s significant concerns at interference in UK democratic institutions.”

Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan, who is on a visit to China, also set out in a meeting with the Chinese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs the importance of the UK’s parliamentary democracy and that the UK “will always put our national security first”.

The Metropolitan Police announced on Monday that Christopher Cash, 29, from Whitechapel in east London, and Christopher Berry, 32, from Witney in Oxfordshire, had both been accused of an offence under the Official Secrets Act.

It is alleged that between January 2022 and February 2023 Cash “for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the State, obtained, collected, recorded, published or communicated to any other person articles, notes, documents or information which were calculated to be, might be, or were intended to be, directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy”.

Berry is accused of the same offence between December 2021 and February 2023.

Cash worked as a parliamentary researcher and was closely linked to senior Tories including Tom Tugendhat, who is now security minister and Alicia Kearns, who serves as chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

The 29-year-old was director of the China Research Group, which was initially chaired by Mr Tugendhat and then Ms Kearns, and had a sceptical view of the UK’s relationship with Beijing.

Ms Kearns said on X: “As this matter is now sub judice it is essential that neither I, nor anyone else, say anything that might prejudice a criminal trial relating to a matter of national security. I will not be commenting further.”

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This has been an extremely complex investigation into what are very serious allegations.

“We’ve worked closely with the Crown Prosecution Service as our investigation has progressed and this has led to the two men being charged today.

“We’re aware there has been a degree of public and media interest in this case, but we would ask others to refrain from any further comment or speculation, so that the criminal justice process can now run its course.”

The two men have been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle explained to MPs that two people had been charged on a matter “relating to national security”, one of whom was a parliamentary pass holder.

He told the Commons: “This morning two people were charged with offences under the Official Secrets Act of 1911. One of those individuals was a parliamentary pass holder at the time of the alleged offences.

“This matter is now sub judice. Under the terms of the House’s resolution on matters of sub judice members should not refer to it in the chamber.

“I know that honourable and right honourable members will understand how important it is that we do not say anything in this place that might prejudice a criminal trial relating to a matter of national security.”

China dismissed the charges as “self-staged political farce”.

An embassy spokesman said: “The Chinese Embassy made (a) relevant response on September 10 2023.

“I would like to reaffirm that the claim that China is suspected of “stealing British intelligence” is completely fabricated and nothing but malicious slander.”

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