Spy scandal MP congratulates Russia on World Cup bid win

The MP at the centre of the Commons spy scandal today congratulated Russia for securing the 2018 World Cup.

Liberal Democrat Mike Hancock, whose aide Katia Zatuliveter is facing deportation amid claims she was a sleeper agent, also called for an end to the "whingeing and moaning" over England's failed bid.

He also highlighted accusations of "double-dealing" by the English authorities in an attempt to hold the 2006 tournament.

England secured just two out of 22 first-round votes last week as Russia clinched the right to host the World Cup in 2018. Qatar was named the 2022 host at the same time.

Mr Hancock has put his name to a Commons motion tabled by Labour's Roger Godsiff, which says "it would be a good idea if all those individuals and organisations involved in the failed World Cup bid showed a little humility and good grace instead of continually whingeing and moaning about the unfairness of Fifa and the bidding
process".

English football authorities are "only too willing to sanction takeovers of English clubs by billionaire Russian oligarchs and Arab sheikhs and yet are condescendingly dismissive of Russia and Qatar's abilities to host football World Cups", it continues.

And the motion "remembers that the English football authorities were themselves accused of double-dealing and breaking promises by members of Uefa when they attempted a rival bid against Germany for the 2006 World Cup". It ends by congratulating Russia and Qatar on their successes.

Birmingham Hall Green MP Mr Godsiff tabled the motion yesterday. Portsmouth South's Mr Hancock is the only MP to have signed it so far.

Conservative MP Patrick Mercer has raised concerns that MPs' staff are not being vetted properly for security passes. He claimed parliamentary authorities looked more sympathetically on applications from MPs than other workers and that foreign spies might look to target the "loophole".

"If you are applying for a cleaning job I think the checks and balances are pretty rigorous," the Tories' former homeland security spokesman said.

"The big problem is if a Member of Parliament asks for X, Y or Z to be taken on I suspect the authorities are more content to take an MP's word for it than they would be otherwise. I think this is a loophole we have got to tighten."

Russian diplomats today demanded access to Ms Zatuliveter, and told Britain to explain why she is being held.

Ms Zatuliveter, 25, was seized last Thursday by border authorities, reportedly on the orders of MI5.