Corbyn's 'patriotism' questioned amid mounting pressure to release files on meetings with Communist spy

Jeremy Corbyn is under mounting pressure to authorise the release of Cold War files kept on him by the Stasi after Theresa May said he must be “open and transparent” about his links to former Communist spies.

Government ministers alluded to the Kim Philby scandal and questioned the Labour leader’s patriotism in agreeing to meet the Czechoslovak agent Jan Sarkocy during the Eighties.

The Daily Telegraph can disclose that MPs intend to call Mr Sarkocy to give evidence in Parliament about his meetings with several Labour politicians, as part of an inquiry into the influence of foreign powers on British democracy.

Details of the file held on Mr Corbyn by the Statni Bezpecnost (StB), the Czechoslovakian secret service, were made public last week, but Mr Corbyn is now under pressure to allow the 

release of a Stasi file which was reportedly opened when he visited East Germany in the Seventies.

Mr Corbyn, who was given the codename “Cob” by StB, has admitted meeting Mr Sarkocy but denies supplying information to a foreign power or receiving any payments. 

Mr Sarkocy claims that Mr Corbyn was aware he was a spy and says Labour MPs were paid £10,000 to provide information.

Last night, speaking for the first time on the matter, the Prime Minister urged Mr Corbyn to go public about his dealings with the StB. Mrs May also hinted that he should authorise Germany to release the file the former East German secret police is believed to have compiled when Mr Corbyn and his then girlfriend Diane Abbott, now the shadow home secretary, went on holiday to the country.

Asked if Mr Corbyn needed to “answer questions” over his links to Mr Sarkocy and authorise the release of his Stasi file, the Prime Minister said: “It is for individual Members of Parliament to be accountable for their actions in the past. 

“Where there are allegations of this sort, MPs should be prepared to be open and transparent.”

Last night Ben Wallace, the security minister, alluded to Britain’s most infamous spying scandal when he derided a Labour MP’s claim that Mr Corbyn had always been interested in foreign policy.

Writing on Twitter, Mr Wallace quoted Louise Haigh, who said on the BBC’s Daily Politics: “Jeremy has been interested in foreign policy issues his entire political career.” Mr Wallace added, “yup so was Kim Philby”.

In a subsequent tweet Mr Wallace explained that he “wasn’t comparing” but “saying that being interested in foreign policy isn’t an answer to the allegations being made”.

Separately, Tobias Ellwood, the defence minister, said the reports raised “legitimate concerns” about Mr Corbyn’s “patriotism”.

Mr Ellwood told The Telegraph: “Regardless of political colour, what unites all MPs is a sense of duty and loyalty to the Queen, the nation and the people. If legitimate concerns of patriotism arise it is for each MP to justify their actions and provide the clarity and transparency the nation expects and deserves.” 

An unnamed minister said Mr Corbyn should authorise the release of any files on him held by the Stasi, which are archived in Germany and can be requested by the subject of each file.

The minister told The Telegraph: “The question for Corbyn is, ‘would you authorise release of your Stasi file?’ If it is about you, you can authorise release. No one else can. Jeremy Corbyn has a chance to clear his name by coming to the [foreign affairs] committee and answering questions.”

MPs on the cross-party foreign affairs select committee are expected to call Mr Sarkocy to give evidence in Parliament. 

Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the committee, said: “We are planning to look at how nation states undermine democracy and the rule of law. It is Russia and other countries as well that are trying to do it. While we are doing that it may be worth asking people who have actually tried to do this in the past to tell us how they did it.”

He added: “This is evidence that the attempt to undermine democracy has always relied on useful idiots. It is interesting to see how even today we are seeing this with Russia’s activity in the West and it is clear that the examples in the former Soviet dictatorship have got echoes today.”

Sources close to the committee said that Mr Corbyn could also be called to give evidence to the committee in response to any claims by Mr Sarkocy.

Labour has denied any wrongdoing by Mr Corbyn. Labour sources said they were “not aware of the existence of a Stasi file on Jeremy Corbyn”.

A spokesman for Mr Corbyn said: “As has been repeatedly made clear, the Cold War Czechoslovak spy Jan Sarkocy is a fantasist whose claims are entirely false and becoming more absurd by the day. 

“These claims are ridiculous smears.”