Prosecutors have dropped charges against two men, including a former parliamentary researcher, who had been accused of spying for China.
Christopher Cash, 30, and Christopher Berry, 33, had both 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.
It was alleged they obtained, recorded and published information “for a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the state” and which could be “directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy”.
They were due to go on trial next month, but prosecutor Tom Little told London’s Old Bailey they would offer no evidence against the pair.
He said: “We simply cannot continue to prosecute.”
A spokesperson for the Home Office said it was “disappointing” the pair would not face trial “given the seriousness of the allegations”.
They said the decision was made by the Crown Prosecution Service “entirely independently of government”.
“National security is the first duty of government and we remain steadfast in upholding this responsibility,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to use the full range of tools and powers to guard against malign activity.”
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “In accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, the evidence in this case has been kept under continuous review and it has now been determined that the evidential standard for the offence indicted is no longer met. No further evidence will be offered.”
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Mr Cash’s lawyer said his client was “entirely innocent and should never have been arrested, let alone charged”.
Speaking outside court, Mr Cash said: “While I am relieved that justice has been served today, the last two and a half years have been a nightmare for me and my family.”
He said he hoped “lessons are learned from this sorry episode”.
China had dismissed the charges as “self-staged political farce”.
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Mr Cash previously worked as a parliamentary researcher and was closely linked to senior Tories including former security minister Tom Tugendhat and Alicia Kearns, who served as chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
He was director of the China Research Group, which was chaired by Mr Tugendhat and then Ms Kearns.
Mr Berry has worked in various teaching posts in China since September 2015.
