The arrest of a 28-year-old British parliamentary investigator, Chris Cash, for his links to China and under the Official Secrets Act, has created the largest diplomatic conflict in recent years between London and Beijing. He premier Rishi Sunak directly accused China of “unacceptable interference in democracy” in his meeting with Prime Minister Li Qiang during the G20, amid growing pressure from hard-liners in the US. tories to declare the Asian giant as “a threat to national security.”
The Chinese embassy in London accused the Government of orchestrating “a political farce” and a campaign of “malicious slander” with the case of Chris Cashidentified by The Times as “the espionage suspect at the center of power.”
The news of the possible topo of Beijing in Westminster opened the plenary session of Parliament this Monday. The president of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, specified that two were arrested in the investigation opened by Scotland Yard, and that The two suspects are free on bail. until October.
Hoyle gave no further information and warned parliamentarians to avoid “talking about the identity of those involved, speculating about the case or commenting on the details of the investigation.” The president of the House of Commons acknowledged that the information leaked to the media this weekend, including the identity of one of the detainees, “has not exactly been of great help.”
Chris Cash, arrested last March, released a statement through his lawyers denying the accusations. “I am forced to respond to accusations in the media alleging that I am a Chinese spy,” said the British researcher. “It is vital that it be known that I am completely innocent”.