China poses a "highly sophisticated and capable" cyber threat, the UK's cyber agency has warned - as it revealed a 50% jump in significant attacks in Britain by criminals and hostile states.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)'s verdict on the threat posed by Chinese cyber spies comes as Sir Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure over the sudden collapse of a trial against two British men accused of espionage on behalf of Beijing .

The Crown Prosecution Service said the case was derailed because the government would not deliver evidence to show China had been a threat to Britain's national security at the time of the alleged offences between 2021 and 2023.

The prime minister said Beijing had not been classed as an "enemy" back then.

Image: Sir Keir Starmer's government has

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