John McDonnell and Ken Livingstone ‘among 15 Labour politicians who sold information to the Communists during the Cold War’, claims ex-spy
The ex-spy at the centre of the Corbyn Soviet link allegations has claimed the Shadow Chancellor gave 'valuable' pointers to the KGB and described teh former London Mayor as a 'very good contact'
JOHN McDonnell and Ken Livingstone were among at least 15 Labour politicians who sold information to the Communists during the Cold War, an ex-spy claims.
Lieutenant Jan Dymic alleged the shadow chancellor gave “valuable” pointers to the KGB.
Mr Livingstone was described as a “very good contact” for the Czech State Security (StB).
The Sun revealed on Thursday how secret documents revealed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn met Dymic, real name Jan Sarkocy, a number of times in the mid-1980s.
A spokesman for Mr McDonnell branded the new claims “ridiculous and false” last night.
Dymic, 64, alleged from his home in Slovakia: “Ken Livingstone was a very good contact. He had access to sensitive information.
“He was in a very strong position in the Labour Party. He liked to drink whisky at our embassy and talk about everything he knew. He was a good boy. He obtained some very good information.”
Mr Livingstone branded the claims false and bizarre last night.
He said as a backbench Labour MP he had no access to Government information, adding: “And I don’t do whisky, I do brandy.
Dymic claimed “very useful contact” Mr McDonnell often saw a Czech KGB agent called Tibor.
Dymic said he witnessed one meeting in Guildford, Surrey.
Mr McDonnell, who rates Marx and Lenin among his main intellectual influences, was a senior Labour councillor in London at the time.
Dymic said: “I didn’t deal with him but I know he was an excellent informant.” A spokesman for Mr McDonnell said: “John never met any Czechoslovak or Soviet agent, nor visited the Soviet or Russian embassy.
“He’s only visited Guildford once and that was last year for a Labour Party public meeting.”
Dymic spied for the StB’s Department 26 which recruited political sources. He came to Britain in 1986 as a Czech “peace envoy”.
He said Mr Corbyn was approached after being identified as an MP likely to gain influence.
Mr Corbyn has denied knowing Dymic was a spy or passing over information. But in documents from the StB archive, Dymic recorded that Mr Corbyn warned of UK intelligence actions against Soviet and Czech agents. Dymic said: “I met Mr Corbyn many times.
“The subject of our conversations depended on what information I had been ordered to obtain by Moscow or Prague.
“His information turned out to be so very useful. He was a very polite guy — smart, intelligent. He knew I was a spy. They all did.”
He claimed Mr Corbyn, Mr McDonnell, and Mr Livingstone were on the secret service payroll but said he did not hand over cash.
He said: “We had lots of sources in Parliament, most Labour, but we had sources in all the political parties.”
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Dymic was kicked out of Britain in 1989 by Margaret Thatcher after his mission was exposed.
Among his sources, he said, was one of her aides. He said: “I knew exactly what she’d eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and what dress she would be wearing the next day.”
A Labour Party spokesman said Dymic was a fantasist whose claims were “becoming more absurd by the day”. Mr Livingstone has been approached for comment.
£35 JEZZA BILL
LABOUR MPs were wined and dined at posh restaurants by Soviet spies, says Dymic.
He said: “I used to take them to some amazing restaurants. There was fresh fish, profiteroles, fine wines.”
Dymic spoke out after we showed him a letter he wrote to bosses for permission to spend £35 entertaining Jeremy Corbyn in 1986.
He said: “This was a regular thing. If you’re meeting such an important guy, you are not going with £1 in your pocket.”