Alexander Litvinenko death: request for public inquiry denied

The government has refused a request for a public inquiry into the death of the Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, in what the dead man's widow called a "political" decision that showed more concern for British-Russian relations than getting to the truth.

Sir Robert Owen, the coroner overseeing the inquest into Litvinenko's 2006 death, told a hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London that he had received an eleventh-hour letter from the home secretary, Theresa May, declining his call for a public inquiry, which had thrown the timescale for his long-delayed inquest into further disarray.

Owen wrote to May to request an inquiry last month, after concluding that he could not otherwise consider secret intelligence evidence relating to Russia's involvement in the killing. Pre-inquest hearings have already heard that the government's evidence amounts to a "prima facie case" that the Russian state was responsible.

The coroner made clear his displeasure at being notified by letter only shortly before Friday's hearing, and added that the Home Office decision means it is "inconceivable" Litvinenko's inquest will open on 2 October as planned.

Litvinenko, a former KGB officer who had been granted British citizenship after fleeing Russia, died in November 2006 after being poisoned by radioactive polonium, allegedly administered in a cup of tea during a meeting with two Russians, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtun. His widow's legal team have told the coroner that he was a paid MI6 agent at the time.

Lugovoi and Kovtun deny murder.

Ben Emmerson QC, representing Marina Litvinenko, said the decision was "a sign of something gone awry at the heart of government decision-making", adding that she intended to challenge the ruling by seeking a judicial review.

He said the government had shown "utter contempt to the position of Mrs Litvinenko and her son Anatoly", treating them in the "ultimate shabby way".

"On the face of it, it might be thought from this disastrous catalogue of indecision that those who are charged with the responsibility of making these decisions are simply caught in the headlights," he said.

The killing prompted a diplomatic crisis between Britain and Russia after the director of public prosecutions announced in May 2007 that he would seek to charge Lugovoi with murder. After Russia refused a request for Lugovoi's extradition, Britain expelled four Russian diplomats, which was met by a tit-for-tat expulsion of four British embassy staff from Moscow.

The two countries agreed to reopen diplomatic relations in May, however, since which time David Cameron has hosted Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, at Downing Street and at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland.

Marina Litvinenko has previously said she believes the two countries have struck a pragmatic deal to bury her husband's killing. Asked after the hearing whether Britain was more concerned with good relations with Russia than justice, she said: "We can all see this. This is what it looks like."

Alex Goldfarb, Litvinenko's close friend who was also in court, accused the two states of "collusion". This case, he said, "will stand in the same line as the long history of appeasement to dictatorships. It's a shame and it will have consequences in the long run – the regime in the Kremlin will be emboldened to kill more people."

The dead man's widow is not eligible for legal aid and her legal team are working pro bono, meaning that she could be exposed to huge losses if she loses a judicial review.