Man convicted under National Security Act

A man from Harlow has been convicted of an offence under the National Security Act.

Howard Phillips offered himself as a spy to assist the Russian Intelligence Service.

An investigation led by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command found that Phillips was willing to provide personal details of a former cabinet minister and provide logistical support for Russian espionage activities.

The 65-year-old was arrested after interactions with undercover officers, whom he believed were Russian agents.

Phillips was arrested by officers from the Counter Terrorism Command on 16 May 2024, in central London. He had travelled there for a meeting with two people whom he believed were Russian agents.

They were in fact undercover officers and in a series of emails, social media messages and face-to-face meetings, they observed Phillips’s eagerness to help the Russian Intelligence Service in return for payment.

Phillips handed over personal details of the then-defence secretary. As his local MP, Phillips had met the secretary and been to his house.

Phillips also told the undercover officers that he had applied for a job at UK Border Force and was in the process of applying for Home Office security clearance for that role.

After a two-week trial at Winchester Crown Court, Phillips was convicted of an offence under section 3 of the National Security Act.

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.

“His conviction should act as 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.

“The reality is that we take this kind of activity extremely seriously. Those involved will be identified, investigated and, like Phillips, will face extremely serious consequences when they are convicted.

“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.”