Phillips applied for a job with UK Border Force in October 2023, which prosecutors said was part of his bid to assist Russia.
Phillips told the agents on WhatsApp he was “semi-retired but with connections in high places”, before meeting them in both London and at Lakeside Shopping Centre in West Thurrock, Essex, on 9 May 2024.
During one meeting, he asked them to use the word “mother” instead of “Moscow”, adding he hoped mother would show her “full appreciation” for his work.
The defendant also revealed he had the home address of Sir Grant, who was the UK secretary of defence at the time.
Prosecutors said a month prior, he left the agents a USB on a bike near St Pancras and Euston stations in London.
It contained a document by Phillips claiming he would be “invaluable” to a foreign power, offering “100% loyalty and dedication”, jurors were told.