A Chinese spying trial collapsed last month after the UK government would not label Beijing a national security threat, a top prosecutor has said.

Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry were accused of espionage for China.

But the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced on 15 September that the charges would be dropped , sparking criticism from Downing Street and MPs.

Cash, 30, from Whitechapel, east London, and Berry, 33, of Witney, Oxfordshire, had denied accusations of providing information prejudicial to the interests of the state in breach of the Official Secrets Act between December 2021 and February 2023.

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