Former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash, 29, from Whitechapel in east London, alongside Christopher Berry, 32, from Witney in Oxfordshire, were charged under the Official Secrets Act after a counterterrorism investigation.

The two men appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday but were not required to enter any pleas to the charge.

Cash and Berry are accused to being in contact with each other and an individual believed to be a Chinese intelligence agent.

During the hearing on Friday, they spoke only to confirm their name and address during a short hearing.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring granted both men conditional bail. Cash has told he cannot contact MPs or to enter the parliamentary estate. Although, he was told he is permitted to contact his local MP on constituency matters.

He was also told not to contact any other parliamentary staff.

Both Cash and Berry were told not to travel outside the UK and not to contact each other. They were also ordered to sign on at a police station.

In addition, they must also tell the police of any internet-enabled devices they intent to use.

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Berry worked in a number of teaching roles in China since September 2015 and was arrested while on holiday in the UK.

The charge alleges that between January 2022 and February 2023, Cash, “for a purpose prejudicial to the safety of interests of the State, obtained, collected, recorded, published or communicated to any 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”.

China has dismissed the charges as “self-staged political farce”.

Cash worked as a parliamentary researcher and was closely linked to senior Conservative MPs including Tom Tugendhat, Security Minister, and Alicia Kearns, who currently serves as chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.

He was also director of the China Research Group, which was at first chaired by Mr Tugendhat and then Ms Kearns.

Both defendants are expected to appear at the Old Bailey on May 10 for a preliminary hearing.