UK Security Concerns Rise Over Alleged Chinese Espionage and Recruitment Attempts
In April 2024, Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, an academic, were charged under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly gathering and passing information to a Chinese intelligence agent between December 2021 and February 2023. Both men deny the allegations. However, in September 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case before trial due to an inability to obtain evidence from the government and a legal precedent requiring China to have been labeled a national security threat at the time of the offences.
The government indicated the decision was solely a CPS matter with no ministerial involvement. Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized the handling of the case under the previous Conservative government, while Conservative leaders argued the CPS had been blocked from obtaining necessary evidence. Witness statements by Matthew Collins described China as the biggest state-based threat to the UK's economic security, with later notes reflecting a stance of cooperation where possible and competition where needed. The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy identified serious systemic failures and warned against treating the incident as isolated, recommending formal collaboration between the Cabinet Office, security services, and CPS to improve handling of sensitive cases.
Disputes remain about whether there was sufficient evidence to prosecute, with the committee noting that the CPS failed to apply common-sense interpretations of evidence and wording. This controversy feeds into broader security concerns about China, including a recent MI5 alert warning about spies targeting MPs and staff in Westminster.
Separate MI5 intelligence identified two LinkedIn profiles, Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen, used by Chinese security services to recruit insiders in UK politics. Conservative councillor Simon Whelband, aide to MP Neil O'Brien, reported receiving a suspicious LinkedIn message from an account named Shirly Shen, which purported to offer a job opportunity and was written in poor English. This warning was circulated to MPs and peers by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Lords Speaker Lord McFall.
Parliamentary concerns raised in a Commons debate included a kill switch on Chinese-made buses, potential listening devices in military vehicles, and plans for a large new Chinese embassy near Royal Mint Court, close to sensitive data cables. The government describes its China policy as pragmatic and clear-eyed, with ongoing engagement highlighted by visits from Labour ministers Reeves and Kyle to Beijing and a trip by senior official Sir Olly Robbins to China.
Overall, heightened vigilance is being fostered across Parliament amid fears that MPs and their staff may be targeted by Beijing, coinciding with the collapse of the recent espionage court case involving Westminster staff. A decision on the new Chinese embassy is expected on 20 January.
