'Undeclared' Russian intelligence officer to be expelled from UK, home secretary announces

An "undeclared" Russian military intelligence officer will be expelled from the UK, the home secretary has announced, as he also revealed the closure of several Russian diplomatic premises.

James Cleverly told the House of Commons: "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.

"We will remove 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, which we believe have been used for intelligence purposes.

"We are imposing new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas, including capping the length of time Russian diplomats can spend in the UK."

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.

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.

Mr Cleverly said he expected Moscow to make accusations of Russophobia and spread conspiracy theories in response to the UK’s actions.

He said: "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."

He added the measures are “designed to send a very, very clear message, as well as hampering Russia’s ability to conduct espionage in the UK”.

But he also said the UK was making sure to keep lines of communication open with Russia for "de-escalation" purposes and "error avoidance and the avoidance of miscalculations."

In response shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said Labour "wholeheartedly" supports the government’s new package of measures against Russia.

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