Analysis-UK's bid to woo China faces backlash over spying claims and slim economic gains

By Andrew MacAskill, Kate Holton and Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s attempts to improve ties with China leave him open to criticism at home that he is overlooking the threat to national security, while securing few of the economic gains that he desperately needs.

Prosecutors said last week they had to abandon the trial of two British men charged with spying in parliament for China because the British government had refused to say Beijing was a threat to its national security.

Starmer’s government denies ministers interfered in the case to appease Beijing. But political opponents say it was the sixth occasion it has prioritised improving relations with China over security or human rights concerns.

Those opponents also point to the government’s ref