_ Parliamentary researcher, 29, is charged with spying for China: GP's public school boy son is charged alongside man, 32, for offence under Official Secrets Act after probe by counter terror cops

One of two men arrested today accused of spying for China is the public school-educated son of a GP who co-founded an influential policy group with security minister Tom Tugendhat. 

Christopher Cash, 29 - a Tory parliamentary researcher and China specialist - has been charged for an offence under the Official Secrets Act alongside Christopher Berry, 32. 

Cash, who insists he is 'completely innocent', grew up in a wealthy suburb of Edinburgh and attended £5,000-a-term George Watson's College - where he was head of house - before studying History at the University of St Andrews. 

A 'skilled networker', he was active on the Westminster social scene and used a dating app. He made several attempts in 2022 to set up a date with a political journalist, according to reports. 

He has links to several senior Tory MPs, and set up the China Research Group alongside China hawk Mr Tugendhat. He also had links to Alice Kearns, another China critic. 

Cash previously issued a statement through the law firm Birnberg Peirce, in which he said: 'I feel forced to respond to the media accusations that I am a ''Chinese spy''.

'It is wrong that I should be obliged to make any form of public comment on the misreporting that has taken place.

'However, given what has been reported, it is vital that it is known that I am completely innocent. I have spent my career to date trying to educate others about the challenge and threats presented by the Chinese Communist Party. 

'To do what has been claimed against me in extravagant news reporting would be against everything I stand for.'

Cash, who has been described by people who know him as 'very knowledgeable, very authoritative, very bright guy', spent two years teaching English at an international school in Hangzhou, near Shanghai.

He then did a masters in China before starting work in Parliament in 2021.

Colleagues said there was shock when he vanished from Westminster, where he was at the heart of a social scene and organised bi-monthly pub drinks for a 'Whitehall crowd of quite young people interested in China'.

One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: 'He did Chinese at university. He did a further Chinese course in London.'

They added the suspect had then gone on to live in China, which has been ruled by the Chinese Communist Party since 1949, to teach English to students.

The neighbour said: 'He's a lovely big lad, he's a nice big fella, he's fairly pleasant.'

The researcher was in a key role in Parliament for a year, having been promoted from a more junior position. MPs were said to be furious that they were left in the dark about his arrest.

He worked with MPs - some of whom are privy to highly sensitive information - on international policy for several years.

One person who knows him previously told The Times he is a 'skilled networker who became very embedded in the Westminster China scene'.

At the time of Cash's arrest, Rishi Sunak's spokesman said the Government would 'robustly defend our democracy' but that the UK must continue with engage with China.

Nick Price, head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said today: 'The Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division has today authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge two men with espionage offences.

'Christopher Berry, 32, and Christopher Cash, 29, will be charged with providing prejudicial information to a foreign state, China, and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday, 26 April.

'Criminal proceedings against the defendants are active.

'No-one should report, comment or share information online which could in any way prejudice their right to a fair trial.'

Scotland Yard said the charge against Cash, of Whitechapel, London, was that: 'On dates between 20 January 2022 and 3 February 2023, 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. Contrary to section 1(1)(c) of the Official Secrets Act 1911.'

The force added: 'The foreign state to which the above charges relate is China.'

They said the charge against Berry, of Witney in Oxfordshire, was that: 'On dates between 28 December 2021 and 3 February 2023, 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. Contrary to section 1(1)(c) of the Official Secrets Act 1911.'

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.'

China dismissed the charges as a 'political farce'.

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London said it was 'completely fabricated and nothing but malicious slander' to suggest Beijing was suspected of 'stealing British intelligence'.

'We firmly oppose it and urge the UK side to stop anti-China political manipulation and stop putting on such self-staged political farce,' the spokesman said.

(Fluierul)