Chris Cash claims UK security services used him as scapegoat in espionage case

Chris Cash, a former parliamentary researcher who was charged with spying for China, told the BBC after his acquittal that he was used as a “convenient fall guy” by UK police and security services. The interview, recorded this week, came after a jury cleared him and his Chinese friend, Chris Berry, of espionage offences. Cash said he never intended to harm British national security and that the case was driven by a desire to highlight foreign espionage threats.

The case has revived a political row that began when the government failed to label China as a “threat” in its national security strategy. Security services have warned that Chinese agents are increasingly targeting UK officials in politics, defence and business. The trial, which attracted intense media scrutiny, was seen as a test of how seriously Britain would confront alleged Chinese interference ahead of the next general election.

During the investigation, prosecutors examined more than 6,000 encrypted Signal messages exchanged between Cash and Berry between January 2022 and March 2023. The texts show Berry describing a “secret” meeting with a senior Chinese official who was worried about a sanctioned British MP being promoted to a cabinet post. Cash used Berry’s name as a reference when applying for a parliamentary pass, which was later approved. Neither man was found to have received payment from the Chinese Communist Party, and the messages contain no classified material. Berry, who now works for a large consultancy with government links, declined to comment but previously said the trial was a media‑driven “unfair” process.

Both men say the prosecution was intended as a warning to others who might share sensitive political information. Cash, who returned to the UK in 2019 and later directed a policy group of China‑skeptical Conservative MPs, says he was “unprofessional and naive” in sending gossip‑laden texts to a friend he met while teaching English in China. The case may push the government to tighten vetting procedures for parliamentary access and could shape future policy on foreign influence, as officials weigh security concerns against diplomatic and trade relations with China.