meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Today in Focus

Inside the mystery of the collapsed Chinese spy trial

Today in Focus

The Guardian

Daily News, News

4.65.7K Ratings

🗓️ 15 October 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Questions mount over collapse of trial of teacher and parliamentary researcher accused of spying for China. Dan Sabbagh reports. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This is The Guardian.

0:09.3

Today, the mysterious case of the alleged British spies who worked for China.

0:32.9

Hello, it's Gabby Logan here, and my podcast, The Midpoint, is currently brought to you by NFU Mutual, who offer quality insurance for businesses of all sizes.

0:44.3

NFU Mutual have over 280 agency offices across the UK, so you can pop in and talk to someone who really understands your business or call the friendly UK-based advisors.

0:54.6

And if something does go wrong, which hopefully it won't, you can rely on their expert claims team to help get you back to business as quickly as possible and keep your business moving.

1:00.0

Nine out of ten business insurance customers renew with NFU Mutual year after year.

1:05.5

So for quality business insurance, you can rely on such NFU Mutual Business Insurance. It had all the makings of a pulpy political thriller, a high-stakes spy scandal that seemed

1:17.2

poised to shape Westminster to its core.

1:20.9

For years, British intelligence had been warning about the growing threat of Chinese influence,

1:26.9

from political interference to

1:28.6

suspected espionage. And in 2023, came something explosive.

1:37.5

It's the allegation shaking Westminster, a Chinese spy working in the heart of Whitehall,

1:43.3

with access to MPs and senior officials at the levers of power.

1:52.9

Two young British men, two friends, were arrested, accused of spying for China.

2:01.2

Christopher Cash worked as a parliamentary researcher, Christopher Berry as a teacher in Hangzhou.

2:07.2

They were charged under the Official Secrets Act and due to appear in court this month.

2:12.8

Their headlines were dramatic.

2:14.7

The political implications, huge.

2:20.7

And yet just days before the trial was set to begin,

2:29.4

the entire case collapsed. Dan Saber, the Guardian's Defense and Security Editor, was stunned.

2:34.9

Well, it came through quite late in the day, something like 630, I was just absolutely gobsmacked by what I read.

2:40.3

Because what the director of prosecutions were saying was that we wanted these extra reassurances from the government to clarify that China was an enemy and specifically that it was

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Guardian, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Guardian and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.