A Russian aide for British Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock, seen here outside 10 Downing Street, has been arrested on suspicion of spying. Source: The Australian
BRITISH defence chiefs restricted confidential briefings to MPs because they had lost trust in the senior Liberal Democrat politician allegedly targeted by a Russian "honeytrap" spy.
Mike Hancock was suspected of leaking details from off-the-record briefings given to members of the influential Defence Select Committee in the last Parliament.
The MP has come under intense scrutiny after his researcher was arrested last week on suspicion of being a "sleeper" agent for the SVR, Russia's intelligence service. Ekaterina Zatuliveter, 25, described yesterday how she was seized in a dawn raid, but was not told why she was being threatened with deportation.
In an e-mail from a secure detention facility where she is awaiting deportation, she wrote: "I was arrested on Thursday at 7am and was told I would be deported.
"Nobody explained [to] me why, and this is my main concern. I was not told about the arrangement of the flight," she told the BBC World Service's Russian Service. "I am in the process of appealing against the deportation and absolutely sure I will win it [if there is justice]."
Ms Zatuliveter can take her case to the Special Immigration Appeal Commission, that is best known for dealing with alleged foreign terror suspects. The researcher and her lawyer will receive only limited details of the intelligence evidence that led Theresa May, the Home Secretary, to order the deportation.
MPs said yesterday that Mr Hancock, who is a renowned womaniser, was known for hiring attractive young researchers who often had an interest in intelligence issues or Eastern Europe. House of Commons records show that since his election in 1997, he has employed 13 staff, two of whom were men.
Ms Zatuliveter arrived in Britain to take a masters degree in peace studies at the University of Bradford, although she is thought to have met Mr Hancock in Moscow. MI5 had her under surveillance for months after linking her to a regular visitor to the Russian Embassy in London.
Through her work with Mr Hancock, she had established military and political contacts in Britain, Europe and the US.
During the three years she worked for Mr Hancock, the MP asked dozens of parliamentary questions about British nuclear, military and foreign affairs issues. Mr Hancock, 64, denied that she had written any parliamentary questions under his name. However, a job advertisement in August for her replacement said the researcher would "prepare ... parliamentary questions" and "provide briefings and potential questions to the Member".
Ms Zatuliveter was first detained while returning to London in August and was reinterviewed by police a further four or five times before her arrest.
She had been preparing to move to a large British defence company, but the job offer was withdrawn after a warning from the security services.
As a member of the Defence Select Committee, Mr Hancock received briefings from Ministry of Defence officials about current military developments and future plans. A fellow committee member said that the briefings were kept strictly "off the record" and that members "kept our mouths shut".
"[Mr Hancock] was the one person that we always worried about. He was the one who might put something in the local newspaper or something," the fellow member said. "In consequence, the MoD became increasingly reluctant to give us those briefings.
"To be honest the problems came from him. You have to build trust to get those briefings, and he couldn't be relied upon."
The source said that he did not believe that Mr Hancock was personally involved in espionage, as he had repeatedly missed the Committee's trips to Afghanistan, the US and special forces, which could have provided useful intelligence.
"He would be a very poor use of Russian taxpayers' money," the source said. "He is interested in Eastern Europe - but his interest is more to do with the girls there."
The Times reported yesterday that the MP was ousted as chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Russia Group three months ago over concerns that he was too tolerant of the activities of President Medvedev's regime.
Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, said last night that his Government was checking Ms Zatuliveter's nationality, and if she was a citizen would "give her consular support and talk to her".
Mr Lavrov insisted that the incident would not prevent Russia from building diplomatic ties with Britain, but suggested the arrest was an attempt to derail the process after a series of spy scandals.
"Someone is trying to stop them," he said. "This is not the first time."
Mr Hancock, whose Portsmouth South constituency includes an important naval base, repeatedly denied yesterday that he had been duped into hiring a spy.
"There were no dodgy deals, no favours and no shortcuts. I'm not naive," he said.
"The Russians may pose a threat to national security, but if you believe what the security services tell you, everybody could pose a threat these days."
The MP said that he had last been in Russia in October, for a meeting of the Council of Europe, and had previously visited the country about three years ago.
The Times
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