During the Cold War, politicians from the UK’s Labour Party met with Czechoslovak communist spies each month to pass them information about Britain's foreign policy, according to intelligence files seen by The Daily Telegraph.
The documents claimed that the undercover Czechoslovak agents specifically contacted Stan Orme, code-named 'Manchester', who served under then-UK Prime Minister James Callaghan in the mid-1970s.
Orme's handler called Frantisek Hruza visited London in 1968, pretending to be a foreign diplomat, according to the files.
When in London, Hruza reportedly did his best to prompt Orme to give him information on the Western European Union military alliance. During meals, the two drank wine and smoked cigars bought by Hruza, the files revealed.
In addition, Hruza met another Labour MP, Barnett Stross (codenamed 'Gustav'), and Alf Lomas, who would go on to become Labour's top MP in the European parliament.
Detailing the £1.04 ($1.36) spent on a drink with Lomas, Hruza reportedly described the MP as “useful”, citing their debates about politics, during which Hruza managed to get information on other possible high level Labour collaborators.
They included Tory cabinet minister Raymond Mawby, who allegedly briefed Czechoslovak operatives about the treasury committee and some plans of Parliament’s specific chambers.
Separately, the agents reportedly communicated with Sir Edward Brown, Tory MP for Bath, and Geraint Morgan, a Welsh Conservative lawmaker.
As for Ormi, who was also listed in the files as a high-level collaborator, he became disillusioned with the Czechoslovak Communist Party in September 1969, several months after its first secretary Alexander Dubcek was replaced following the Soviet response to the 1968 Prague Spring mass protests.