‘Spy’ MP lauds Russia win

A BRITISH MP whose assistant is accused of spying for Moscow has congratulated Russia on its successful bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

Liberal Democrat backbencher Mike Hancock urged supporters of England’s failed bid to stop “whinging and moaning” about FIFA’s decision.

His intervention in the row over the World Cup comes as his Russian connections are under intense scrutiny since the arrest of his assistant Ekaterina Zatuliveter.

She is suspected of being a Russian spy — a claim she denies — and is being held in an immigration detention centre.

Russian diplomats were yesterday pressing the Foreign Office and Home Office for information about why she is being held.