What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

An MP claims she was hacked by Russian spies – but all they got was a load of rubbish.

An alleged email hack took place during last year’s Birmingham bin strikes, when Jess Phillips, Labour’s MP for Birmingham Yardley, had an account of “thousands” of complaints about delayed collections.

She says: “I have this brilliant vision of Vladimir Putin being like, ‘Poor old Rosie on Yardley Fields Road.

"She hasn’t had her bins collected for five weeks.’

“There were literally thousands of emails from people complaining.

“It’s the first time half the people of Birmingham have ever got ­politically active.”

The five-month strike over pay was settled in November last year when Birmingham City Council offered refuse workers a new deal, although new rota changes have left many residents facing missed collections again.

Jess made the claim at the Cheltenham Literary Festival, after being asked to leave her government laptop backstage during a talk.

She noted it would easily be tracked as she believes it is under surveillance anyway.

(Image: Getty)

“My emails have been hacked in the past by both Russia and Iran, I believe,” she alleges.

“I hope Putin is out there listening to people complaining about ­drop-kerbs and sending me 38 Degree emails,” she added, referring to the political activism organisation.

She was also asked what Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg smells like. “No overwhelming odour,” she noted.