The Bishop of Leeds is warning that Brexit is playing into a Russian plot to destabilise the West and fuel insecurity.

Nick Baines, who used to work in GCHQ during the Cold War as a Russian linguist expert, claimed there were 'very strong links' between Russia and the rise of the far right.

In comments in House of Lords this week, Bishop Baines alluded to his past career and said: 'It seems that Russia does not need to defeat the West because it gets the West to defeat itself; the Russian policy seems to be to destabilise, and Brexit and the way it is being conducted actually feeds that agenda.

'We do not talk about that enough. If you look at the rise of the far right, such as what has gone on in Austria, the very strong links with Russia are there. This is not simply about Ukraine.'

The remarks on Monday came in response to Theresa May's statement on the European Council meeting where she referred to Russia' annexation of Crimea and promised to 'do what is necessary to protect ourselves and work with our allies to do likewise, both now and after we have left the EU'.

It comes after the Prime Minister launched an extraordinary attack on Russia last month, accusing the Kremlin of meddling in elections, planting fake stories and seeking to 'weaponise information'.

Theresa May spoke against 'the scale and nature' of Russia's actions during an address at the Lord Mayor's banquet, saying it was 'threatening the international order on which we all depend'.

Referencing Russian attempts to undermine the West she said: 'I have a very simple message for Russia. We know what you are doing. And you will not succeed. Because you underestimate the resilience of our democracies, the enduring attraction of free and open societies, and the commitment of western nations to the alliances that bind us.

'The UK will do what is necessary to protect ourselves, and work with our allies to do likewise.'

The Bishop of Leeds worked in GCHQ during the 1980s as the Cold War was nearing its end and still can't talk about his work there other than it was linked to his Russian language skills.