Accessibility helpSkip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to footer
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
Open side navigation menuOpen search bar
Financial Times
SubscribeSign In
  • Home
  • World
    Sections
    • World Home
    • Middle East war
    • Global Economy
    • UK
    • US
    • China
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Emerging Markets
    • Europe
    • War in Ukraine
    • Americas
    • Middle East & North Africa
    Most Read
    • Trump pauses US plan to guide ships through Strait of Hormuz
    • The age of the American Pharaoh
    • Welcome to the Great Hunkering Down
    • Global oil reserves plunge at record pace as Middle East war strains supplies
    • Reeves clashed with Bessent over Iran war criticism
  • US
    Sections
    • US Home
    • US Economy
    • US Companies
    • US Politics & Policy
    Most Read
    • Trump pauses US plan to guide ships through Strait of Hormuz
    • The age of the American Pharaoh
    • Welcome to the Great Hunkering Down
    • Global oil reserves plunge at record pace as Middle East war strains supplies
    • Reeves clashed with Bessent over Iran war criticism
  • Companies
    Sections
    • Companies Home
    • Energy
    • Financials
    • Health
    • Industrials
    • Media
    • Professional Services
    • Retail & Consumer
    • Tech Sector
    • Telecoms
    • Transport
    Most Read
    • Global oil reserves plunge at record pace as Middle East war strains supplies
    • KKR at 50: ‘It used to be easy in the old days’
    • Meta plans advanced ‘agentic’ AI assistant for consumers
    • SEC moves to scrap quarterly reporting requirement
    • HSBC profits hit by $400mn ‘fraud-related’ exposure
  • Tech
    Sections
    • Tech Home
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Semiconductors
    • Cyber Security
    • Social Media
    Most Read
    • Meta plans advanced ‘agentic’ AI assistant for consumers
    • Apple reaches $250mn settlement over delayed ‘AI Siri’
    • Meta and Zuckerberg sued by publishers over ‘massive’ copyright infringement
    • OpenAI president defends motives in for-profit restructuring as he reveals $30bn stake
    • Coinbase to cut jobs and rebuild the group as an ‘intelligence’
  • Markets
    Sections
    • Markets Home
    • Alphaville
    • Markets Data
    • Crypto
    • Bonds
    • Commodities
    • Currencies
    • Equities
    • Monetary Policy Radar
    • Wealth Management
    • Moral Money
    • ETF Hub
    • Asset management
    • Trading
    Most Read
    • Global oil reserves plunge at record pace as Middle East war strains supplies
    • KKR at 50: ‘It used to be easy in the old days’
    • SEC moves to scrap quarterly reporting requirement
    • UK long-term borrowing costs hit highest level since 1998
    • Bypassing the Strait of Hormuz
  • Climate
  • Opinion
    Sections
    • Opinion Home
    • Columnists
    • The FT View
    • The Big Read
    • Lex
    • Obituaries
    • Letters
    Most Read
    • The age of the American Pharaoh
    • Welcome to the Great Hunkering Down
    • Bypassing the Strait of Hormuz
    • When rare viruses return
    • The oil price crunch is looming
  • Lex
  • Work & Careers
    Sections
    • Work & Careers Home
    • Business School Rankings
    • Business Education
    • Europe's Start-Up Hubs
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Recruitment
    • Business Books
    • Business Travel
    • Working It
    Most Read
    • Lessons from the agentic AI trailblazers
    • Control Science — a one-sided case against managers
    • How to do the Venice Biennale without the burnout
    • Recruiters turn to AI in quest to find the perfect connection
    • Business school professors’ picks
  • Life & Arts
    Sections
    • Life & Arts Home
    • Arts
    • Books
    • Food & Drink
    • FT Magazine
    • House & Home
    • Style
    • Puzzles
    • Travel
    • FT Globetrotter
    Most Read
    • Bubbles, breast plates and only one Bezos: a recap of the Met Gala carpet
    • At 100, Route 66 still ties the US and the world together
    • Calling all foodies who can’t face cooking. There’s a delivery service for you
    • What sunglasses tribe are you?
    • Mon Cher Amour — Camus, Maria Casarès and a love story in letters
  • How To Spend It
MenuSearch
  • Home
  • World
  • US
  • Companies
  • Tech
  • Markets
  • Climate
  • Opinion
  • Lex
  • Work & Careers
  • Life & Arts
  • How To Spend It
Financial Times
SubscribeSign In

British Secret Intelligence Service

  • Monday, 15 December, 2025
    FT Edit
    Russia is ‘exporting chaos’, new head of MI6 warns

    In her first public remarks since taking office, Blaise Metreweli says UK support for Ukraine is ‘enduring’

    Blaise Metreweli stands at a podium, speaking between two microphones during her first public speech as head of MI6.
  • Sunday, 12 October, 2025
    Political espionage
    US will be ‘perplexed’ by UK decision to drop China spy case, says ex-MI6 boss

    John Sawers questions why prosecutors chose not to proceed with trial of two Britons accused of espionage

    Christopher Cash (left) and Christopher Berry shown side by side, both wearing suits and looking serious.
  • Saturday, 19 July, 2025
    Afghan files
    Did UK military data rules make a leak more likely?

    Use of secure rooms and secrecy classifications may have been ignored in government-wide emails during chaotic Kabul evacuation

    Montage shows the MI6 building Vauxhall, a cursor hovering over an email ‘send’ button, British troops and the Ministry of Defence logo
  • Sunday, 15 June, 2025
    UK foreign policy
    Britain’s MI6 spy agency promotes ‘Q’ to be first female head 

    Appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes as agents grapple with competing threats

  • Friday, 6 June, 2025
    UK politics
    UK close to appointing first female head of MI6

    Two women remain in running to be chief of Secret Intelligence Service, with decision expected within a fortnight

    Barbara Woodward addressing the UN Security Council at a meeting in New York in February
  • Monday, 3 February, 2025
    Security Service UK
    ‘Dangerous fool’ who spied for Iran jailed by UK for 14 years

    Daniel Khalife embarked on ‘fantastical plan’ to be a double agent and sparked a nationwide manhunt after prison escape

    Daniel Khalife
  • Friday, 29 November, 2024
    UK foreign policy
    Russian victory in Ukraine would ‘embolden’ Moscow’s allies, says UK spy chief

    Richard Moore warns of impact on Chinese, Iranian and North Korean policies as Donald Trump prepares to take office

    Richard Moore is seen speaking and gesturing with his hands at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
  • Thursday, 28 November, 2024
    Rachman Review podcast26 min listen
    Can Britain's ties with the US survive a second Trump presidency?

    Intelligence sharing is at the heart of the special relationship - is this now at risk?

  • Thursday, 28 November, 2024
    FT News Briefing podcast11 min listen
    Canal+’s blockbuster London listing

    Is this the beginning of London’s stock market revival?

  • Saturday, 2 November, 2024
    Non-Fiction
    Secrets and spies — the women at the heart of espionage agencies

    Two revealing books explore the unsung work and elusive lives of secretaries and intelligence agents on both sides of the Atlantic

  • Saturday, 5 October, 2024
    George Blake
    FT Magazine. Why it took 25 years to solve the greatest prison break in British history

    The unlikely story of the trio behind Soviet agent George Blake’s infamous bolt from Wormwood Scrubs

  • Saturday, 7 September, 2024
    War in Ukraine
    Ukraine’s Kursk offensive has triggered doubts among Russian elite, spy chiefs say

    CIA director Bill Burns and MI6 chief Richard Moore made first joint public appearance onstage at the FTWeekend festival in London

    CIA director Bill Burns and MI6 chief Richard Moore
  • Saturday, 7 September, 2024
    US-UK relations
    Bill Burns and Richard Moore: Intelligence partnership helps the US and UK stay ahead in an uncertain world

    Technological advantage is key to ensuring the special relationship maintains its lead

    Bill Burns and Richard Moore
  • Monday, 3 June, 2024
    Political espionage
    Beijing says MI6 recruited couple employed by Chinese state agency

    Accusation follows recent arrests in UK and Europe targeting alleged Chinese espionage

    A UK flag and a Chinese flag on a pole with security cameras in front of a portrait of Mao Zedong in Tiananmen Square in Beijing
  • Monday, 8 January, 2024
    Chinese politics & policy
    China accuses foreign consultant of spying for MI6

    Beijing and western capitals have increasingly publicised espionage allegations amid rising tensions

    UIK and Chinese flags on a pole with security cameras in front of a portrait of Mao Zedong in Tiananmen Square in Beijing during a visit by then-prime minister Theresa May
  • Wednesday, 16 August, 2023
    Political espionage
    UK arrests part of wider western moves to disrupt Russian spy networks

    Investigation under Official Secrets Act against five Bulgarian nationals ongoing

    Bizer Dzhambazov and Katrin Ivanova
  • Wednesday, 19 July, 2023
    War in Ukraine
    MI6 head calls on Russians to spy for UK

    Secret service chief says some who oppose the war in Ukraine have already joined up

    Sir Richard Moore
  • Wednesday, 19 April, 2023
    Government Communications Headquarters
    Why GCHQ’s first female director matters

    Women have a proven aptitude for codebreaking but after the second world war they were mostly overlooked

    Helen Warrell
    Black and white photo of women codebreakers sitting at a long table with a man standing next to them
  • Friday, 14 April, 2023
    Freddie Scappaticci
    Obituary. Freddie Scappaticci, suspected IRA informer, circa 1946-2023

    The agent known as Stakeknife was described as the British army’s ‘most important secret’

    A middle-aged man in T-shirt and blue cardigan stands outside an office block
  • Monday, 3 April, 2023
    UK defence
    UK’s cyber spy agency offers rare insights into its activities

    Head of covert unit conducting ‘daily’ hacking operations named for the first time

    James Babbage
  • Thursday, 8 December, 2022
    World
    FT Magazine. Exclusive: The secret lives of MI6’s top female spies

    For the first time ever, SIS officers reveal why women often make the best spies for our times

    A woman views Westminster and the Big Ben across the Thames
  • Monday, 5 December, 2022
    Television
    A Spy Among Friends, ITV review — Guy Pearce and Damian Lewis in a poised tale of betrayal

    The show explores Kim Philby’s defection from MI6 to the Soviet Union in the 1960s

    Actors Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce dressed in 1960s clothing, speaking in an outdoor setting with a building’s rooftop in the background
  • Thursday, 14 April, 2022
    Technology sector
    Even Bond would have to share his secrets in the world of AI spying

    New technology will revolutionise espionage, but the US and UK must work together to secure their intelligence advantage

    Oliver Lewis
    Ben Wishaw as Q, the British Secret Service quartermaster, in ‘Spectre’
  • Sunday, 13 March, 2022
    Evgeny Lebedev
    Labour calls for probe into peerage for Russian businessman

    Opposition party wants details of advice on Boris Johnson’s nomination of Evgeny Lebedev to House of Lords

    Evgeny Lebedev, left, at a function with Boris Johnson.
  • Tuesday, 22 February, 2022
    Television
    Killing Eve staggers to an end laden with identity crises

    Russia, religious awakening and eye-catching outfits are all in the mix as the thriller begins its fourth and final series

Previous page1Next page

Useful links

Support

Help CentreContact UsAbout UsAccessibilityCareersSuppliers

Legal & Privacy

Terms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyManage CookiesCopyrightSlavery Statement & Policies

Services

Share News Tips SecurelyIndividual SubscriptionsProfessional SubscriptionsRepublishingExecutive Job SearchAdvertise with the FTFollow the FT on XFT ChannelsFT Schools

Tools

PortfolioFT AppFT Digital EditionFT EditAlerts HubBusiness School RankingsSubscription ManagerNews feedNewslettersCurrency Converter

Community & Events

FT Live EventsFT ForumsFT Leaders Academy

More from the FT Group

Markets data delayed by at least 15 minutes. © THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2026. FT and ‘Financial Times’ are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.
The Financial Times and its journalism are subject to a self-regulation regime under the FT Editorial Code of Practice.
Edition:International
UK
Subscribe for full access

Top sections

  • Home
  • World
    • Middle East war
    • Global Economy
    • UK
    • US
    • China
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Emerging Markets
    • Europe
    • War in Ukraine
    • Americas
    • Middle East & North Africa
  • US
    • US Economy
    • US Companies
    • US Politics & Policy
  • Companies
    • Energy
    • Financials
    • Health
    • Industrials
    • Media
    • Professional Services
    • Retail & Consumer
    • Tech Sector
    • Telecoms
    • Transport
  • Tech
    • Artificial intelligence
    • Semiconductors
    • Cyber Security
    • Social Media
  • Markets
    • Alphaville
    • Markets Data
    • Crypto
    • Bonds
    • Commodities
    • Currencies
    • Equities
    • Monetary Policy Radar
    • Wealth Management
    • Moral Money
    • ETF Hub
    • Asset management
    • Trading
  • Climate
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
    • The FT View
    • The Big Read
    • Lex
    • Obituaries
    • Letters
  • Lex
  • Work & Careers
    • Business School Rankings
    • Business Education
    • Europe's Start-Up Hubs
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Recruitment
    • Business Books
    • Business Travel
    • Working It
  • Life & Arts
    • Arts
    • Books
    • Food & Drink
    • FT Magazine
    • House & Home
    • Style
    • Puzzles
    • Travel
    • FT Globetrotter
  • Personal Finance
    • Property & Mortgages
    • Investments
    • Pensions
    • Tax
    • Banking & Savings
    • Advice & Comment
  • How To Spend It
  • Special Reports

FT recommends

  • Alphaville
  • FT Edit
  • Lunch with the FT
  • FT Globetrotter
  • #techAsia
  • Moral Money
  • Visual and data journalism
  • Newsletters
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • News feed
  • FT Schools
  • FT Live Events
  • FT Forums
  • FT Leaders Academy
  • myFT
  • Portfolio
  • FT Digital Edition
  • Crossword
  • Our Apps
  • Help Centre
  • Subscribe
  • Sign In