The Secret Intelligence Service, more commonly known as MI6, is recruiting foreign-born spies after quietly relaxing entry requirements to increase diversity.
Candidates no longer need to have been born in the UK, although they must still hold a British passport.
Speaking to The Times, a Whitehall source told that the spy agency, which collects intelligence overseas, wanted to recruit from the biggest talent pool possible and create a workforce with a “diversification of thought . . . not people who all think in similar ways”.
The source said that the presence of people with different nationalities and backgrounds would enable the agency to be “more effective at spying”.
Professor Anthony Glees the Director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham pointed out there seemed to be some confusion over the term “agent”.
“Of course MI6, for over a hundred years, has been recruiting foreign spies, it’s what MI6 does.”
He told LBC listeners that what was happening was that the intelligence service was set to change its recruitment policy around officers.
Professor Glees also pointed out potential MI6 officers will now have to have one parent who is or was a British citizen or with ‘substantial ties’ to the UK in order to be eligible to apply.
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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