Hancock formally resigned from the Liberal Democrat whip in early June 2014 until a civil court action brought against him by a female constituent alleging improper conduct was resolved.
He contested Portsmouth South for the SDP at the 1983 general election but lost to the sitting Conservative MP Bonner Pink by 12,335 votes.
[10] He was promoted to the frontbench by Paddy Ashdown in 1997 as the spokesman on foreign and commonwealth affairs until 2000, when he was moved by Charles Kennedy to speak on the environment, transport and the regions, but following the 2001 general election, Hancock returned to the backbenches.
It was reported that he signed nomination forms for more than one candidate in the 2006 Liberal Democrat leadership election, in order to ensure a 'proper contest'.
[12] Hancock failed to win the election, as did the official Liberal Democrat candidate; the constituency was gained by the Conservative Party.
[16][17] He was previously chair of the Russia group, until being succeeded by Labour's Chris Bryant, because he was felt to be too lenient towards Moscow: "We were concerned by Mike Hancock's pro-Putin and pro-Medvedev position.
[19] On 18 October 2011, amidst espionage allegations relating to his aide and mistress Katia Zatuliveter, Hancock resigned from his post on the defence select committee.
[24] On 8 August 2010, one of Hancock's parliamentary aides, Russian national Katia Zatuliveter, and her friend were questioned at Gatwick Airport on returning from celebrating her 25th birthday in Croatia.
[29] On 4 December 2010, it was reported that Zatuliveter was facing deportation in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre, after she was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Service on behalf of MI5 and the Border and Immigration Agency on 2 December 2010, on suspicion of espionage, the police action having been approved by Home Secretary Theresa May.
[27][31][32] The incident happened in the wake of the uncovering and expulsion of ten Russian sleeper agents in the US in June 2010, including a young woman who had British citizenship, Anna Chapman.
[35] In subsequent interviews on the same day, he called the espionage accusations "absolutely ludicrous"[36] commenting further: "I have no reason to believe she did anything but act honourably during the time she was working for me.
[28][37] It was also reported that Hancock had allegedly agreed to help another Russian national, 25-year-old Ekaterina Paderina, stay in Britain after she ran into visa problems in the late 1990s.
[38] On 7 December 2010 Russia's Foreign Ministry described the affair as "vaudeville based on a threadbare spy plot" being whipped up by the UK media, which could "only be regarded with pity".
"[43][44] At a Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) hearing on her case begun on 18 October 2011,[45] Zatuliveter admitted to having had a four-year affair with Hancock.
"[51] In October 2010 a complaint was made against Hancock of indecent assault, which Hampshire Police announced would not be pursued in December 2010 due to insufficient evidence.
"[3] A psychiatric report on Hancock, who was undergoing treatment at the Priory Hospital in Southampton, confirmed that he was freely able to make such a statement.
[4] Hancock has been married to Jacqueline Elliott (also a former member of Portsmouth City Council until losing her seat in the 2014 elections)[5] since 1967, and has a son and a daughter.