Britain’s government has evoked the accreditation of a Russian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move after Moscow expelled a British official last year on spying allegations

Britain is revoking the accreditation of a Russian diplomat, the foreign ministry said Thursday, after Moscow last year expelled a British official accusing him of espionage. Russia's ambassador to London was summoned by the Foreign Office and told it was in "response to Russia's unprovoked and baseless decision to strip the accreditation of a British diplomat in Moscow in November",

Britain said on Thursday it would revoke the accreditation of a Russian diplomat, in retaliation to a similar move made by Moscow last year. Russia said in November that it was expelling a British diplomat for spying.

The Foreign Office said the move was in response to an ‘unprovoked and baseless’ decision to expel a member of staff from the UK embassy in Moscow.