British prosecutors have said they are dropping charges against two men, including a former researcher for a senior UK politician, who had been accused of spying for China.
The men, ex-researcher Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, 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.
The men were due to go on trial next month but prosecutor Tom Little told the Old Bailey court in London on Monday that they would offer no evidence against the pair and that “we simply cannot continue to prosecute this case”, without giving any reason for the decision.
The case was one of a number in Britain involving accusations of espionage on behalf of Beijing. The British government has previously said Chinese spies were targeting British officials in sensitive positions in politics, defence and business as part of an increasingly sophisticated spying operation to gain access to secrets.
China has dismissed such allegations as “hype”.