China ‘spies’ case was dropped after government failed to provide evidence of Beijing threat

Ministers and officials did not provide statements that China was threat despite ‘many months’ of effort to obtain them

Charges against two men accused of spying for China were suddenly dropped last month because prosecutors could not obtain critical evidence from the government that Beijing represented a “threat to the national security of the UK”.

Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, wrote to two select committee chairs to explain that despite trying over “many months”, the sought-after statements were not forthcoming from ministers and officials.