A 65-year-old man from Essex has been convicted under the National Security Act after offering to assist Russian intelligence agents in exchange for payment, according to a press release from the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command.
Howard Phillips, of Harlow, was found guilty on 22 July by a jury at Winchester Crown Court following a two-week trial. He had been arrested in May 2024 after a series of meetings and communications with undercover officers posing as agents of the Russian Intelligence Service.
According to the investigation, Phillips was “willing to provide personal details of a former cabinet minister and provide logistical support for Russian espionage activities.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Helen Flanagan, head of operations for the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Phillips was unemployed and his primary motivation for wanting to become a spy for the Russian Intelligence Service was financial reward.” She added: “His conviction should act as a stark warning to anyone who thinks that carrying out illegal activity on behalf of a foreign state is an attractive or easy way to earn money.”
Phillips had travelled to central London for what he believed was a meeting with two Russian agents, during which he handed over a USB stick containing personal information about the then Secretary of State for Defence. The data included details Phillips had obtained after meeting the minister and visiting his home, as the MP represented his local constituency.
In messages and meetings with the undercover officers, Phillips expressed his willingness to support Russian espionage and discussed having recently applied for a job with UK Border Force, including pursuing security clearance from the Home Office.
He described himself in a document he handed over as someone who could “move undetected and travel anywhere at any time, no questions asked” and “avoid suspicion.”
Following his arrest on 16 May 2024, Phillips was charged under section 3 of the National Security Act 2023. Sentencing will take place at a later date.
DCS Flanagan added: “This case is also another successful use of the National Security Act to prosecute someone who was attempting to undermine the security of the UK and we will continue to use these powers available to us to help keep the public safe.”
They used to call this treason and it had an appropriate sentence to go with it.
Did this guy not understand that had they actually been Russians that information might have resulted in WW3.
There are plenty of reasons we don’t do capital punishment any longer (if that’s the ‘sentence’ to which you refer).
There is only one real reason , and that’s the fear of an incorrect conviction.
And that is a perfectly reasonable fear to have. You can’t unhang somebody after a conviction is overturned.
During WW2 when capital punishment was available for treason there were (from memory) perhaps a couple of dozen convictions but only one or two hangings. Most had far easier sentences. Peacetime may well have removed the reasons for capital punishment however it is perhaps a necessary evil in wartime or when dealing with things which might lead to war. We will see what this guy gets and judge for ourselves as to it’s likelihood to deter others.
What a plum my god there are so many useful idiots in this country I mean seriously how did he even think that information was even slightly useful to the Russians I’m willing to bet they know full well where these MPs are at most times
If you’d asked me that 10 years ago I would have said yes.
But with the clown show in Ukraine I am not so sure. This isn’t the cold war KGB/GRU that was ideologically driven. This is a highly corrupt regime most of whose officials are only interested in skimming off as much as they can.
In this case the guy sounds delusional rather than dangerous.
Treason. Hang, draw and quarter him!
Perhaps this person wanted to be the next Kim Philby or had been ready too many spy novels? I would say he’s a plonker, but in light of what he was trying to do, the book should be truly thrown at him.
It was kind of worrying when I got my first “real” job after leaving the services in a defence company. I guess naively at the time announced it on LinkedIn. Within a week I was getting a couple of emails from management companies that had viewed my profile and CV. Funny when you do a bit of checking and some digging most of them came from China. Which I duly made our security office aware of.
Lesson learned. Be careful what you put on social media and especially Linkedin, as there are people out there watching.