Katia Zatuliveter has had restrictions eased to allow her to apply for job on Russian television and have visitors in her home
A Russian woman accused of being a spy while working for an MP has had her bail conditions relaxed so she can apply for work, including a role working for Russian television.
Katia Zatuliveter, 25, faces deportation amid suspicions she used her position as an assistant to Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock to pass information to Russian intelligence.
The special immigrations appeal commission judge, Justice Mitting, has agreed to lift some of the "quite severe" restrictions against Zatuliveter, saying he wanted to make it easier for her to obtain employment. She had been banned from visiting parliament or contacting Hancock, and had been required to notify the home secretary, Theresa May, if she met anyone other than her immediate family and legal team.
Before the ruling, Tim Owen QC, representing Zatuliveter, said her bail conditions were impossible to fit with a normal employment situation, "unless she applies for a job as a lighthouse keeper". The hearing also heard she had a "prospect of employment" with RT news network.
Mitting said: "I am very keen she should be free to work in a job that does not, in the view of the secretary of state, propose a risk to national security." Under the revised conditions, Zatuliveter is permitted to have visitors to her home.
He added she must notify the secretary of state after attending a job interview but would not need prior clearance.
Zatuliveter began working for Hancock as an intern in November 2006, soon after she arrived in Britain to study for a master's degree at Bradford University.
She was given a pass to the House of Commons and was paid £250 a month from his expenses account, before becoming his full-time parliamentary assistant.
She was stopped at Gatwick airport in August, and arrested in December amid fears she was engaged in espionage.
Zatuliveter has denied the allegations, saying she has never worked for Russian intelligence services.
The government wants to deport her because they say her presence poses a serious threat to national security.
Zatuliveter's case, followed by the tit-for-tat expulsions of a Russian and British diplomat, could scupper a cautious rapprochement between the countries.
The House of Commons defence committee is attempting to oust Hancock. James Arbuthnot, the Conservative MP and committee chairman, has asked Lib Dem whips to remove Hancock on the grounds that his presence interferes with its proper functioning.
Hancock has sat on the committee, which handles sensitive and often classified material, since 1999.Zatuliveter is not permitted to challenge her deportation until a four-day hearing in October.