MP backs Commons 'Russian spy'

Liberal Democrat Mike Hancock challenged the security services to produce evidence against Katia Zatuliveter, who was arrested on Thursday morning and is currently being held at an immigration detention centre.

The 25-year-old, who came to the UK three years ago to study a masters degree at Bradford University, held a House of Commons pass and underwent security vetting before taking up her position as a full-time assistant two-and-a-half years ago. She worked previously for the MP as an intern.

She is appealing against the deportation order, which came after the Home Secretary Theresa May was briefed by MI5 about her alleged connection to Russia's foreign intelligence service, the SVR, The Sunday Times reported.

Yesterday, it emerged Ms Zatuliveter, a Russian who originates from Dagestan, was forced to flee her home as a child in the mid-1990s during the Chechnyan conflict.

A friend, who did not want to be named, said she had been openly critical of Russia given her upbringing. He added: "Katia had a pretty traumatic experience. She went from being from a fairly successful family to having nothing."

It is not known what prompted Ms Zatuliveter's arrest but a source told The Sunday Times she was no longer welcome in the UK.

The source said: "Her presence here is not considered to be conducive to national security. There was unhappiness about what she could have access to. The intention is to show her the door."

Mr Hancock, a member of the Defence Select Committee, also represents Portsmouth South, where the Ministry of Defence has significant naval interests.

In the last two months he has tabled a number of written questions to the MoD. Among them, he has asked for the locations of berths for submarines, a request to publish a historical inventory of the country's nuclear arsenal and when the next design review of the Trident warhead will take place.

Mr Hancock says his researcher would not have been privy to any information not in the public domain. He said he was "very interested" in defence issues and had asked similar questions throughout his career as an MP. There is no suggestion Mr Hancock has acted improperly.

If it is confirmed Ms Zatuliveter is a Russian spy and she is deported, it will be the first case since the Cold War of a Russian agent being removed from the Houses of Parliament.

Describing Ms Zatuliveter as "bright and intelligent", Mr Hancock told Sky News: "I have no reason to believe she did any thing but act honourably during the time she was working for me.

"She is determined to fight her corner and she genuinely believes, and I back her 100 per cent, that she has nothing to hide and has done nothing wrong."

He said the first he knew about Ms Zatuliveter's arrest was on Thursday lunchtime when he received a telephone call to say she had been detained. Mr Hancock added he hoped she would be at work as he was unable to make it to the House of Commons because he was snowed in.

In an interview with the BBC, he added: "Defence Select Committee papers have been leaked to newspapers before now and I have never read anything in a Defence Select Committee paper or report which was worth someone believing they couldn't get it from another source."

Mr Hancock said his researcher's role included hosting constituents during visits to the Houses of Parliament, writing speeches and working on early day motions. She was currently researching a report about obesity, he said.

Meanwhile, MPs said there must be a security review of Parliament if the system was breached.