McDonnell’s ‘meeting with agent’

JOHN McDonnell is accused of meeting a Soviet agent during the Cold War.

The shadow chancellor is said to have met a man known as P Tibor as he was wooed by spies for the Eastern Bloc.

Jan Sarkocy said he witnessed the meeting in Guildford some time between 198 and 1989. The former Czech spy said Mr McDonnell was one of up to 15 Labour MPs who were ‘great sources’ to himself or KGB colleagues.

He said Ken Livingstone frequently visited the Czech embassy where he drank whisky with diplomats – and that the then MP was a ‘good boy’ and in a ‘very strong position in the Labour Party’.

Former London mayor Mr Livingstone said that Mr Sarkocy’s accusations were a ‘tissue of lies’.

Mr McDonnell said of the claims against him: ‘These are ridiculous and false allegations. I have never met any Czechoslovak or Soviet agent, nor visited the Soviet or Russian embassy and have only visited Guildford once … for a Labour Party public meeting.’