Overview

• Prosecutors dropped Official Secrets Act charges against Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry last month after concluding the evidential test for conviction could not be met.
• Senior officials told the Financial Times, as reported by GB News, that ministers withdrew a key witness and would not allow China to be described as an enemy, a claim the government disputes.
• Downing Street says the decision was entirely independent of ministers, attributes the evidential position to previous government policy on China, and rejects reports of a meeting where Jonathan Powell set limits on evidence.
• The Daily Mail, citing the Guardian, reports Beijing warned the Foreign Office it would retaliate if parts of the Chinese state were placed in the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme’s enhanced tier, which currently covers Russia and Iran.
• Parliamentary pressure is mounting for Powell to testify, with talk of potential contempt action, as Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood voices disappointment over the collapse and describes China as a challenge.