Briton murdered in China tied to UK intelligence

The British businessman murdered in China by the wife of one of the country’s top officials provided information on an informal basis to Britain’s foreign secret service, Reuters reported, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter. Inside sources confirmed a news story published Tuesday that said the businessman, Neil Heywood, was an informant, although he was not a staff officer. Heywood fed British intelligence information on the now purged Bo Xilai and his family for roughly a year. Heywood wasn’t paid for his services and the British agency had not asked him to provide information on specific matters. “We don’t comment on intelligence matters,” a spokeswoman for the British embassy in Washington said today in response to questions on Heywood’s role as an informant.