A 26-year-old woman accused of being a Russian spy has won the right to remain in the UK, despite numerous accusations that she was passing information back to her homeland.

Katia Zatuliveter won her hearing with the Special Immigration Appeals Commission today, (Tuesday, 29 November) after convincing those present that she had not been liaising with Russian spies while in the employment of Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock and was not a threat to British national security.

She had, however, had an affair with the Liberal Democrat member of the Defence Select committee, which was one of the main reasons she aroused suspicion in the first place.

The idea of a honey-trap involving the older politician initially evolved when Mr Hancock jumped to Ms Zatuliveter's defence in 2010. In December, the Russian was due to fly to Moscow when she was arrested and accused of being a spy. The politician was quick to protest her innocence and demanded proof of the suspicions from the security services.

His behaviour was immediately judged as being indicative of a deeper issue when it was revealed that the pair were having an affair.

Despite the commission's ruling, the Home Office and others remain unconvinced. A spokeswoman observed: “National security is the primary duty of government and we will take all necessary steps to protect the public from individuals we believe pose a threat and remove them from the UK.

“The court ruled that there were ample grounds for suspicion. We are therefore very disappointed by the court's judgement and stand by our decision to pursue deportation on national security grounds.”

Meanwhile, Ms Zatuliveter's solicitor, Tess Gregory, observed that the Russian woman is “delighted by the judgement” and criticised the prosecution for building a case “entirely on speculation, prejudice and conjecture”.