Two years later, some senior Russian officials, most notably the increasingly annoyed defence minister, Sergei Ivanov, feel that the Americans are overstaying their welcome in Central Asia.
The Labour MP said reintroducing exit checks, abandoned in stages by previous Conservative and Labour governments, was essential to prevent people entering the country on short-term visas and overstaying.
He was due to enter into a partnership with a man more than twice his age when officers from the UKBA intervened and arrested him for overstaying his visa.