TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chris Cash, the U.K. parliamentary aide accused of spying for Beijing, retained his access to parliament and his director role at the China Research Group after he was arrested, public records show.
Parliamentary records reveal that Cash was in possession of his parliament pass on April 28. He was detained on March 13 by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of spying for China.
The record also showed that Alicia Kearns, chair of the Foreign Select Committee and the China Research Group where Cash was a director, sponsored his pass. Parliament.uk, the U.K. parliament’s website states: “Members may apply for passes for their secretaries and research assistants (provided that they genuinely and personally provide parliamentary secretarial or research assistance to the sponsoring Member).”
W4MP.org, which calls itself “the site for everyone working for an MP,” explains that a parliamentary pass “is required by everyone working on the parliamentary estate, requiring access to the parliamentary network or being given access to sensitive parliamentary information.”
Tory MP Caroline Noakes has called for a review of the pass system. Meanwhile, Luke de Pulford, executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, called the House of Commons vetting team’s decision to issue a pass to Cash a “massive due diligence failure,” per The Telegraph.
In addition to retaining the pass after being arrested, U.K. Companies House records suggest that Chris Cash continued to hold his director role at the influential China Research Group. The corporate records show that Cash’s employment with China Research Group Ltd was terminated on June 29, two months after he became the subject of an espionage investigation by the Counter Terrorism Command.
A job posting for the China Research Group on W4MP.org explains the group’s work includes “working closely with MPs.” Applicants had to answer the question, “Why would you like to work at the China Research Group?” and send the response to chris@chinaresearchgroup.org — thought to be the email address of Chris Cash.
In an article posted by SOAS University of London’s China Insitute on March 10, three days before his arrest, Cash wrote, “Finding a way to live with China’s international influence that doesn’t compromise our security and values is now the critical question for the UK (and the CRG) to unpack.”
Responding to the allegations against Cash, Alicia Kearns wrote on social media that she “will not be commenting.” She added “we all have a duty to ensure any work of the Authorities is not jeopardised.”
