Sir Keir Starmer has said he has "full confidence" in national security adviser Jonathan Powell following the collapse of the China spy trial.

The prime minister said the senior civil servant is doing an "excellent job", amid questions over whether he played a role in the case being abandoned.

Christopher Cash, 30, a former parliamentary researcher, and teacher Christopher Berry, 33, were accused of spying for China - a charge they denied - but weeks before their trial was due to begin, it was suddenly dropped .

The director of public prosecutions, Stephen Parkinson, has blamed ministers for failing to provide evidence that would support the assertion that China represented a threat to national security, leading to accusations of a cover-up from the Tories .

However, Downing Stre

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