A prominent British critic of Vladimir Putin is being subjected to a "massive abuse of power" by Russia and should be offered protection by the UK Government, the Home Secretary has been told.

A senior Conservative MP urged Amber Rudd to challenge the Kremlin's repeated attempts to order the arrest of Bill Browder, a campaigner against Russian human rights abuses, through Interpol.

The intervention by Andrew Mitchell, a former cabinet minister, came after Russia made a fifth attempt to seek Mr Browder's detention through the international police body, as Mr Putin personally accused him of “illegal activity”.

In a letter to Ms Rudd, Mr Mitchell described Mr Browder as a "brave justice campaigner" and said he "deserves and should receive the protection" of the UK Government.

The latest Interpol notice filed by Russia resulted in Mr Browder's US visa waiver being briefly revoked, before the intervention of American politicians including John McCain, the former presidential candidate. The attempt was the second this year by Moscow, following an earlier request disclosed by the Telegraph in August.

In his letter to the Home Secretary, Mr Mitchell wrote: "Under Interpol's rules, each member country can challenge the actions of other national central bureaus. Given Russia's abuse of Interpol in this case, I hope the British Government will intervene as a matter of urgency.