# Acquitted ‘China spy’: I was fall guy for security services

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/acquitted-china-spy-i-was-fall-guy-for-security-services/
- Published: 2026-11-11T06:00:21+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T07:24:00+00:00
- Original publisher: BBC Politics (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98rzzvde1llo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
- Topics: Asia, Politics, World

## Key points

- Chris Cash says he was used to publicise espionage concerns.
- Messages covered sensitive UK political matters.
- The case collapsed over how China was classified.

## Summary

Chris Cash, a former parliamentary researcher acquitted of spying for China, says he was made a “convenient fall guy” by UK police and security services seeking to highlight foreign espionage threats. He says he would never harm British security, but accepts that sending informal messages about sensitive political matters was “unprofessional and naive”.

More than 6,000 messages shared with the BBC show Cash and his friend Chris Berry discussing UK political issues, including the 2022 Conservative leadership contest. Berry described meeting a senior Chinese official who was interested in closer co-operation and concerned about the possible promotion of a sanctioned MP. Both men denied wrongdoing; the prosecution collapsed after officials could not say China had been classed as an enemy at the time, prompting political controversy.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.