Russian diplomat to be expelled by UK for spying, says James Cleverly

An “undeclared” Russian military intelligence officer will be expelled from the UK, Home Secretary James Cleverly has told the House of Commons.

He also announced the closure of several Russian diplomatic premises and new restrictions on diplomatic visas.

“We should expect accusations of Russophobia, conspiracy theories and hysteria from the Russian government” in the coming days, Mr Cleverly said.

The Kremlin has not publicly responded to the accusations.

Moscow’s defence attache, described as an “undeclared military intelligence officer”, would be immediately excluded, Mr Cleverly said as he told MPs: “Our message to Russia is clear. Stop this illegal war, withdraw your troops from Ukraine, cease this malign activity.”

The tougher measures were the latest step in response to a “pattern of alleged Russian malign activity across the UK and Europe” in a bid to “target and dismantle Russian intelligence-gathering operations”, the Home Office said.

It comes after five people were charged over conspiring to commit espionage activities in the UK on behalf of Russia under the National Security Act, the first prosecutions of this kind under the new laws.

Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Mr Cleverly told MPs: “Today, in conjunction with the Foreign Secretary, I am announcing a package of measures to make clear to Russia that we will not tolerate such apparent escalations.

“I can tell the House that we will expel the Russian defence attache, who is an undeclared military intelligence officer.”

He said diplomatic premises status from “several Russian-owned properties in the UK”, including Seacox Heath house, a Russian-owned property in Sussex, and the trade and defence section in Highgate, will be removed.

“We believe [they] have been used for intelligence purposes,” he said.

The Commons was told new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas would be introduced, including a cap on the length of time Russian diplomats can spend in the UK.

The Russian Ambassador had been summoned to relay the measures and to “reiterate that Russia’s actions will not be tolerated”, according to the Home Office.

The Kremlin would make accusations of “Russophobia” while spreading “conspiracy theories and hysteria” in the coming days, the Home Secretary warned, adding: “This is not new and the British people and the British Government will not fall for it, and will not be taken for fools by Putin’s bots, trolls and lackeys.”

The Government would “look closely to see what response Russia puts forward to see if they seek to escalate this,” he added.

“We always make sure that we protect our ability to have lines of communication with Russia, even during these most challenging of times, routes for de-escalation, of error avoidance and the avoidance of miscalculations are really important,” Mr Cleverly said.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said Labour “wholeheartedly” supported the move, telling MPs: “We echo the Home Secretary’s strong condemnation of Russian interference and hostile activity here in the UK and throughout Europe.

“Repeatedly, we have seen a brazen disregard by Russia for the rule of law, for the UK, for our allies, for our domestic security.”

Conservative former minister Rehman Chishti questioned if the UK would bring in legislation to seize Russian assets, adding: “It’s absolutely crucial we do everything we can to cut off Putin’s finances and make sure that he pays for the reconstruction of Ukraine.”

Mr Cleverly replied: “We have absolutely made it clear, we will be incredibly imaginative, we will work hard to ensure that the regime and the people that have funded the brutal attack on Ukraine are also those that fund the rebuilding of Ukraine, and we work with our international partners to make that a reality.”