Former spy Christopher Steele shared explosive dossier on Donald Trump and Russia with British authorities because of 'serious risks to national security'

A former British spy said he was “duty bound” to share an explosive dossier on Donald Trump’s links to Russia with British authorities because his administration “might pose a serious risk to UK national security.” Christopher Steele, a 22-year veteran of MI6, revealed in court that he approached a Government national security official just days after Donald Trump was elected because he was so concerned about what he had unearthed in a fact-finding mission on behalf of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. The 56-year-old was speaking out for the first time about his leaked dossier because he is being sued over claims it makes about computer hacking by a Russian businessman, Aleksej Gubarev. In a written statement, Mr Steele said: "The intelligence recorded in the pre-election memoranda had important potential national security implications for the UK, as well as the US. "The intelligence in the pre-election memoranda suggested that Donald Trump and his administration might pose a serious risk to UK national security in relation to the receipt of sensitive intelligence from British sources and operations, especially sources/operations in or in relation to Russia." He added: "Since the intelligence I had gathered had important implications for UK national security following Donald Trump's election as President, I considered myself duty bound to provide it to the appropriate national security authorities in the UK."