Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has protested to the home secretary after prosecutors dropped charges against two men accused of spying for China and targeting MPs.

Sir Lindsay told Sky News the decision "leaves the door open" to foreigners spying on the House of Commons, and he has written a "strong and punchy" letter to Shabana Mahmood .

The Speaker says "all avenues" must be pursued to ensure the protection of MPs and Commons staff, and he is understood to be weighing up whether to carry out a private prosecution.

The men - Christopher Cash, a former parliamentary researcher and director of the China Research Group, and Christopher Berry - were charged last April under the Official Secrets Act.

The charges related to "espionage within parliament", security minister Dan J

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