British prosecutors have abandoned a high-profile investigation into two men accused of spying for China, citing insufficient evidence. The case, which involved a parliamentary aide and a financial analyst, was dropped just weeks before trial, sparking political backlash and calls for an internal inquiry into the decision. Senior UK security officials now face an internal probe over the collapse of the case, which was initially charged as a breach of national security.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from MPs, who expect to scrutinize the handling of the case during an upcoming parliamentary committee meeting. Reports suggest the probe was halted to avoid straining UK-China relations, which are critical for trade. UK Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson cited a lack of evidence that China posed a threat to national security, a stance he explained was consistent with previous government policy.
Christopher Cash and financial analyst Christopher Berry were charged with sharing “prejudicial information” with Beijing in April last year. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the charges against the two men just weeks before trial, citing “evidential standards.&rdde; The case, which initially seemed to implicate two men, one of whom was a British parliamentary researcher, has now led to a government review of the decision to drop the charges.
Moscow denied the spying allegations at the time, accusing London of trying to stir up anti-Russian hysteria. The UK government has said it is not to blame for torpedoing the investigation, adding that it was a decision made by prosecutors who relied on language used by the previous government in its China policy. London has recently moved to rebuild trade ties with Beijing, resuming Joint Economic and Trade Commission talks last month after a seven-year freeze.