Acquitted 'China spy' tells BBC: I was fall guy for security services but also naive

A British man who was charged with spying for China has told the BBC he was a "convenient fall guy" for UK police and security services who wanted to put espionage threats by foreign states "on the map". The messages show how Cash's friend in China, Chris Berry - with whom he had been sharing information - dramatically described a "secret" meeting between Berry and a high-ranking Chinese official.

Berry said he had been told that China was concerned about how a British MP it had sanctioned might be promoted to a cabinet role. The messages also reveal how Cash used his friend as a reference during vetting for a parliamentary pass - which was approved.

In his first interview since his acquittal, which sparked a political row over the government's failure to designate China as a "threat", Cash says he would "never do anything" to harm UK national security. But he admits he was "unprofessional and naive" to send "gossiping" texts to his friend, whom he met in 2018 when they both taught English in a school in China.