London's Metropolitan Police said Christopher Berry, 32, and Christopher Cash, 29, have been charged with passing on damaging information to a foreign state, namely China, and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday. The force alleges the pair collected, recorded or communicated information "prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state" and breached the Official Secrets Act between late 2021 and February 2023. "This has been a complex and sensitive investigation into serious allegations," said the Met's head of counter-terrorism policing, Commander Richard Smith. The Sunday Times reported last year that Cash had been arrested over spying for Beijing. Cash is alleged to have worked as a parliamentary aide to Conservative MPs including Alicia Kearns, who now chairs the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, and her predecessor Tom Tugendhat, now security minister. According to the newspaper, the suspect had a pass giving him access to the parliamentary estate, which is granted to MPs, their staff and journalists after security checks. Last year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he had raised the issue with Chinese premier Li Qiang, saying he had "very strong concerns" about interference in British democracy. The Chinese embassy issued a statement at the time calling the allegations "false". Also on Tuesday, three people were arrested in Germany on suspicion of spying for China and arranging for the transfer of information about technology with potential military applications. Read More: Benfica with a message in Faro: "Identity is not bought with millions" (Portuguese version)