Britain must expel the Russian ambassador to the UK in response to alleged “war crimes” committed in Ukraine by Vladimir Putin and his forces, Labour has demanded.

Italy was expelling 30 Russian diplomats on Tuesday, after Germany kicked out 40 and France 35 in a wave of action amid growing outrage at alleged atrocities.

But Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was understood not to be preparing to expel diplomats and intelligence officers from London.

It was argued that the 23 Russian diplomats kicked out over the Novichok poisonings in Salisbury in 2018 has left few intelligence officers to take action against.

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy doubled down on Labour’s demands to expel Russian ambassador Andrei Kelin as evidence piled up of possible offences committed by Moscow’s forces.

“The sickening actions committed by Vladimir Putin and his cronies in Ukraine undoubtedly amount to war crimes,” the Labour MP said.

“There should be no place for Russia’s ambassador to parrot the regime’s lies or intelligence agents to continue their hostile activity in the UK.

“Alongside expelling Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council, we should set up a special tribunal to personally prosecute Putin and his gangster regime.”

Ms Truss has twice hauled Mr Kelin in to the Foreign Office for a dressing down in response to the Kremlin’s renewed invasion of Ukraine in February.

But ministers have so far declined to expel the ambassador, with him being one way to convey British demands to Moscow.

On Monday, a Western official said: “A number of European partners have expelled Russian diplomats, principally intelligence officers.

“Because of all the action we took after Salisbury we actually don’t have very many of that category of Russian in the embassy in London at the moment. So, while we keep it under review, we have no plans at the moment.”