According to PBS, former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash and academic Christopher Berry were charged by British authorities as acting as spies for the Chinese government back in April of 2024.
But the case fell apart, and the two men walked free — not because they weren't spying for China, but because under the Official Secrets Act, the prosecutors would have had to prove the duo were spying for "an enemy".
And no one in the government is willing to classify China as an enemy.
Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said the case collapsed because no one from the government was willing to testify ‘that at the time of the offense China represented a threat to national security.'
‘When this became apparent, the case could not proceed,' he wrote in a letter sent Tuesday to lawmakers on Parliament's home affairs and justice committees.
Leftist Prime Minister Keir Starmer blamed the conservative Tory party for the issue, as they were in control when the pair was arrested and only referred to China as an "epoch-defining challenge."
‘You can't prosecute someone two years later in relation to a designation that wasn't in place at the time,' Starmer said. ‘All the focus needs to be on the policy of the Tory government in place then. That's the only place that the evidence could be focused on.'
But don't worry, Starmer's Labour Party has since upgraded China to the level of "strategic challenge."
So, who would Britain count as an enemy worthy of a conviction for spying?
The answer is no one, at least not right now — though Russia is getting close.
Is this to say all of Britain's national secrets are fair game and open for the taking with zero repercussions?
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