A FORMER assistant to David Atkinson has added his tributes to the late ex-MP for Bournemouth East.

Chris Gould, now a writer living in Japan, recalled how Mr Atkinson was sometimes known as “the James Bond of the Christian right”.

“Whereas ‘Christian right’ is somewhat a misnomer – David certainly believed in God, but he never forced that belief on anyone – ‘James Bond’ is certainly apt,” said Mr Gould.

“Forever in the gym, forever keen on mountaineering even well into his 60s and not to mention the classic cars to boot, David made it one of his life’s biggest missions to negotiate Russia's entry into the Council of Europe, the organisation which primarily seeks to promote human rights among its member states.”

Mr Gould, who was an intern for Mr Atkinson in the early 2000s, said the former MP’s escapades sometimes involved smuggling documents past the security officers at a Russian airport. He eventually succeeded in bringing Russia into the Council of Europe. He said Mr Atkinson was also a keen film buff who “had a vast movie collection and knew Tim Burton's Batman inside out” and was “very generous” to his staff.