An ex-policeman has become the first British person to have their UK citizenship stripped due to links with Russia. Normally, the move is associated with terrorists and dangerous gangsters, but Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood justified it on the grounds of national security. Mark Bullen, 45, had his British passport revoked after having worked for more than a decade at Hertfordshire Constabulary. He once described Russia as his “childhood love”, and admitted to Russian media that as a child he was called a spy by family and friends due to his passion for the Soviet Union.
The man obtained a Russian citizenship in 2022, which has been his “lifelong dream”, and has been living in St Petersburg. Visiting the UK once or twice a year to visit family was “easy”, he said, until November 2024, when he claims he was “forcibly detained” under the terrorism act at Luton Airport. He had his electronic devices seized and says he was asked about the 2018 Salisbury poisonings during a four-hour interview after flying to the UK from Russia.
During his time in the British police, Bullen met senior Russian officers and took part in a month-long exchange to St Petersburg, The Times reports.
Ms Mahmood said the evidence on which her decision was based “should not be made public in the interests of national security”.
However, he denies any wrongdoing. Last year, when his citizenship was stripped, he told the Daily Mail: “I absolutely deny I am any threat to the UK. I find that comical.
”I find it hard to believe that a country like England, which is supposed to be about freedom and liberty, would behave in this way.
”I have never been charged. I have a perfect police record, two commendations, I was awarded officer of the year.”
In the past, just two other individuals, both of whom were foreign-born, are believed to have had their British citizenship removed because of their suspected links to the Kremlin.
The Home Office said: “Deprivation of British citizenship is a vital tool used to protect the UK from some of the most dangerous people, including those involved in terrorism, hostile state activity, or serious organised crime.
“Deprivation decisions are never taken lightly, but this government will always take whatever action is necessary to keep our country safe.”