LONDON - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's attempt to draw a line under a collapsed China spying case by publishing witness statements has prompted more questions for the legal system and for a leader who is struggling with low popularity ratings.

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service unexpectedly dropped charges last month against two British men, former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash and academic Christopher Berry, who were accused of spying for Beijing between 2021 and 2023. They had denied passing politically sensitive information to the Chinese state.