How a young Sir Keir Starmer ended up in Communist spy files after joining a Czechoslovakian work camp during Cold War

Keir Starmer appears in Communist spy files after joining a Czechoslovakian work camp at the height of the Cold War, the Mail can reveal.

The then 23-year-old was one of 17 mostly students from around the globe in the 1986 scheme behind the Iron Curtain to restore a memorial to victims of a Nazi atrocity.

But while the volunteers had noble intentions, unbeknown to them, the event was being monitored by those with a far more sinister motive.

Sir Keir's full name, date and place of birth, passport number and family home address are listed among other International Work Camp participants in a dossier discovered by the Mail in the 'Foreign Intelligence Main Directorate – Operative Files' section of the Czechoslovakian secret police archives.

His visa application, including a passport photo and hand-written personal details, are kept in a separate section of the Czech Cold War state Security Service archives.

Keir Starmer appeared in Communist spy files after joining a Czechoslovakian work camp at the height of the Cold War

Sir Keir's full name, date and place of birth, passport number and family home address are listed among other International Work Camp participants in a dossier discovered by the Mail in the 'Foreign Intelligence Main Directorate – Operative Files' section of the Czechoslovakian secret police archives

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer appearing on the BBC for questioning on Friday

Files marked 'Top Secret' from a previous International Work Camp in Prague in 1982 show it was overseen by the ruthless Czech StB spy agency as part of a wide-ranging and far-reaching 'Active Measure' – a euphemism for black operations and disinformation campaign – to undermine Nato.

The secret police also planted a spy posing as a camp 'supervisor' among the foreign students in 1982 to produce a classified dossier profiling the visitors which earmarked some for 'further exploration' who could potentially be of 'use in the future'.

The files from Sir Keir's camp do not specify whether the secret police planned to use the information they harvested from him and others, but security experts said they also appeared to be gathering intelligence about young high-fliers in Western countries for potential long-term use.

As well as the now Labour leader, other members of his brigade – who also came from the United States, West Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, France and Czechoslovakia – included one who later worked in a senior role in the European Commission and another who became a partner in a City law firm.

Sir Keir had just completed a postgraduate law degree at Oxford University and was about to embark on his barrister training when he arrived for the two-week camp at the Czech-German border town of Cheb on August 16, 1986, according to stamps on the visa.

The group was based in Lidice, a village 12 miles outside Prague which the Nazis destroyed in 1942 killing more than 300 civilians in revenge for Czech resistance fighters assassinating SS chief and Holocaust architect Reinhard Heydrich.

The group was based in Lidice, a village 12 miles outside Prague which the Nazis destroyed in 1942 killing more than 300 civilians in revenge for Czech resistance fighters assassinating SS chief and Holocaust architect Reinhard Heydrich (pictured)

Fellow camp participant Lisbet Praem, then a young police officer working in Denmark, told the Mail the group stayed in military tents with 'primitive' facilities.

Almost four decades on, she has fond memories of the trip and Sir Keir. She said: 'He was very caring about everybody. He was definitely a hard-working guy and always looked for the best solutions for everybody, as well as having a good time.'

They were aware the Communist authorities would be keeping a close eye on them, Ms Praem added.

'Of course they were looking, but we were also invited so we knew if we behaved and didn't take pictures in the wrong places it was all right, we supposed. It was another time.'

'At that time it was difficult to get on the other side of the Iron Curtain. You had to have a certain visa.

'It was long before people talked about the Berlin Wall falling.'

As well as building a memorial to victims of the Nazis, the trip was about 'meeting young people from other cultures', she added.

'We also thought if you can connect between all the nations you can avoid another war.'

Ms Praem kept in contact with Sir Keir for a few years but eventually lost touch as his legal career meant he 'went from busy, to very, very busy'.

Professor Anthony Glees, an intelligence and security expert from the University of Buckingham (pictured), said: 'It is absolutely right that Starmer wanted to help commemorate victims of the sadistic Nazi atrocity in Lidice, but not to realise this youthful idealism could be exploited by the Communists was an error, although a forgivable one given his age'

Professor Anthony Glees, an intelligence and security expert from the University of Buckingham, said: 'It is absolutely right that Starmer wanted to help commemorate victims of the sadistic Nazi atrocity in Lidice, but not to realise this youthful idealism could be exploited by the Communists was an error, although a forgivable one given his age.

'This was at a critical time in the Cold War when hardline Communists were still doing all they could to undermine the West, and the Czechoslovak security service played a key role in this.

The Czechoslovak secret service was using these camps to gather information on bright and idealistic young people in the hope that one day they might be of use to them, one way or another.'

Labour declined to comment.