This is hair-raising and has to come out: The spy’s own verdict

FORMER MI6 agent Christopher Steele insisted his explosive claims about Donald Trump and the president-elect’s links to Russia had to come out, it emerged last night.

He told a journalist he was so shocked by the ‘hair-raising’ findings he decided they were ‘sufficiently serious’ to give to the FBI.

His 35-page dossier, alleging Mr Trump had been filmed with Russian prostitutes performing lewd acts and that the presidentelect had been colluding with the Kremlin, was published this week after being passed around political circles in the US for months.

Last October, Mr Steele spoke to a reporter from US news website Mother Jones on the condition of anonymity, saying: ‘This is an extraordinary situation.’

The former MI6 agent, who has gone into hiding since being revealed as the report’s author, said he found that there was an ‘ established exchange of information between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin of mutual benefit’.

He said: ‘This was something of huge significance, way above party politics. I think [Mr Trump’s] own party should be aware of this stuff as well. The story has to come out.’

Though the allegations – which are all denied – have not been verified, Mr Steele claimed: ‘My track record as a professional is second to none.’

According to The Independent, Mr Steele was so concerned that he worked without pay and provided information to British and US intelligence officials.

Mr Trump yesterday dismissed Mr Steele as a ‘failed spy afraid of being sued’.

The president- elect also promised a ‘full report’ within 90 days on Russian hacking of Hillary Clinton’s election campaign.

He insisted the contents of the explosive dossier had been fabricated by Republican and Democrat political rivals who had commissioned it from Mr Steele.

Posting on Twitter, Mr Trump said: ‘It now turns out that the phoney allegations against me were put together by my political opponents and a failed spy afraid of being sued. Totally made up facts by sleazebag political operatives, both Democrats and Republicans – FAKE NEWS!’

Last night it emerged that Mr Trump’s incoming national security adviser, Michael Flynn, took a call in December from the Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, and discussed setting up a call between the president- elect and Russian president Vladimir Putin after the inauguration.