London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Court bid to prevent BBC airing MI5 agent probe

Court bid to prevent BBC airing MI5 agent probe

The government wants to stop a BBC programme that alleges an MI5 agent is a dangerous extremist and misogynist, who abused two former female partners.

A High Court judgment published on Thursday revealed details of the previously-secret legal battle over whether the story can proceed.

Mr Justice Chamberlain said parts of the case must be heard in public.

A full hearing of the attorney general's request for an injunction against the BBC begins on 1 March.

Summarising the proposed story, Mr Justice Chamberlain said: "The BBC wants to broadcast a programme about an individual, "X".

"The programme is to include the allegations that X is a dangerous extremist and misogynist who physically and psychologically abused two former female partners.

"[The BBC will allege] that X is also a covert human intelligence source (variously referred to as a 'CHIS' or an 'agent') for the Security Service, MI5, that X told one of these women that he worked for MI5 in order to terrorise and control her - and that MI5 should have known about X's behaviour and realised that it was inappropriate to use him as a CHIS.

"The BBC says that the broadcast of this story, and the identification of X by name, is in the public interest."

National security claims


The judge said that the Attorney General, Suella Braverman QC, was seeking an injunction to prevent the BBC from broadcasting the programme while, at the same time, neither confirming nor denying in public whether X has ever worked for MI5.

"She submits, however, that irrespective of the truth of the allegation, the BBC's proposed broadcast would involve a breach of confidence... create a real and immediate risk to the life, safety and private life of X and damage the public interest and national security.

"The Attorney has also made clear that there would be no objection to a broadcast making allegations about MI5's use and management of agents without naming or otherwise identifying X or any particular individual.

"Nor would there be any problem with a broadcast making allegations about the conduct and dangerousness of X without identifying him as an alleged MI5 agent."

Mr Justice Chamberlain said he had not been convinced by arguments from the attorney general that he should ban the media and public from attending court.

Instead, parts of the case will be heard behind closed doors under a legal procedure designed to allow the UK's intelligence agencies to provide evidence to a judge, and other parts of the case will now be heard in public.

Telegraph 'briefing' probed


The judge said this decision was influenced by the government's failure so far to dispel the possibility that it had been the source for quotes in the Daily Telegraph warning about the BBC's intentions.

"The fact that a government source, whether acting with or without authority, appears to have briefed the press about this case has an impact on the extent to which it is necessary to sit in private to secure the proper administration of justice," said the judge.

"It would in principle be unfair to allow one party to put its own spin on a case without allowing the other party to put before the public even the basic factual elements of its defence.

"The question of damage to national security... has to be considered against that background."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×