Russia expels British diplomat over espionage claims, reports say

Russia has expelled a British diplomat after accusing him of espionage, according to reports.

The Tass news agency cited Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that the ministry had also summoned the British ambassador.

Footage shows the British ambassador's car pulling up to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow. 

British Ambassador to Moscow Nigel Casey received a note of protest in connection of false information provided by the diplomatic mission’s senior official Wilkes Pryor upon his entry to Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"On November 26, the British Ambassador to Moscow, Nigel Casey, was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, who received a note of protest in connection with the information that the second secretary of the British Embassy, Wilkes Pryor, deliberately stated false information about himself as he was seeking a permission to enter our country," the statement from the ministry reads.

"At the same time, Russia’s relevant services gained data confirming that the [diplomatic] officer at the issue worked for the United Kingdom’s secret intelligence services. The data also points to signs of his intelligence and subversive work on the territory of our country," the ministry added.