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Jeremy Corbyn last night branded claims he met with a Soviet spy at the height of the Cold War "entirely false and a ridiculous smear".

It came after reports that the Labour leader had been “vetted” by Czech agents in the 1980s and met with them.

It’s claimed Mr Corbyn had met with one agent on three occasions.

But while Mr Corbyn confirmed he met with a diplomat, he denied ever knowingly speaking to a spy.

According to Soviet files published in the Sun, a Lieutenant Jan Dymic said he had visited the Labour MP twice in the House of Commons - during which time it’s claimed he was being “vetted” as an informant for the Czech government.

(Image: PA)

While Mr Corbyn did meet with representatives from the Czech government, the Mirror understands he was also in contact with dissidents in the Soviet country.

A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn said: “The claim that Jeremy Corbyn was an agent, asset or informer for any intelligence agency is entirely false and a ridiculous smear.

“Like other MPs, Jeremy has met diplomats from many countries. In the 1980s he met a Czech diplomat, who did not go by the name of Jan Dymic, for a cup of tea in the House of Commons. Jeremy neither had nor offered any privileged information to this or any other diplomat.

“During the Cold War, intelligence officers notoriously claimed to their superiors to have recruited people they had merely met.

“The existence of these bogus claims does not make them in any way true, as The Sunday Times found out to its cost when it published fabricated allegations about former Labour leader Michael Foot and the KGB.”