London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Aug 27, 2026

Government UFO hunters may reopen 'Britain's X-Files' and track down alien life

Government UFO hunters may reopen 'Britain's X-Files' and track down alien life

Britain could revive its UFO desk depending on the findings of a report into extra terrestrials due out next month from the US Pentagon's UAP Task Force, it has been claimed

A specialist team of alien hunters could be recalled by the Government after the findings of a US report into extra terrestrials are revealed, it has been claimed.

The Ministry of Defence's dedicated UFO desk has been defunct since 2009 but a Pentagon probe into unidentified flying objects - now called Unidentified Aerial Phenomena - could see it revived.

The US Congress is set to be presented with the unclassified report in June on evidence collected by a UAP Task Force, the Office of Naval Intelligence and the FBI.

It has been labelled a landmark moment by Ufologists and a senior defence source said Downing Street certainly "wouldn't rule out" reforming the UFO desk if the findings call for it.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, they said: "I think that if there was enough evidence to suggest that there was something, and that we needed to do it as well as the US, then of course we'd think about it.

Nick Pope previously investigated UFO activity for the Ministry of Defence


"We'd look at it. There's all sorts of things that we wouldn't rule out, and this would certainly be one of them."

They added that as science and technology evolve "whole new universes" can "suddenly open up" and it is important Britain remains on top of the situation, to "identify [and] track objects".

RAF Flyingdales tracks objects through space and the source said it could work alongside the US in future.

It comes after Lord Black asked the Government this month if it had any role in the US Task Force and whether there had been any information exchange.

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as Mulder and Scully in TV show The X-Files


Defence Minister Baroness Goldie said the UK "does not have a role" with the Task Force and "has not contributed" to the US report, though added the MoD is aware of it but can't comment further until it is released.

Nick Pope previously investigated UFOs for the MoD's Secretariat Airstaff but told the Telegraph the job did not involve running "around darkened warehouses...guns drawn" like on TV show The X-Files.

He said it was more about checking radar tapes of possible UFO sightings and liaising with air force experts, but said halting investigations altogether was a "huge mistake".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The Secret Dolly Parton Kept Until Her Death: "She Was Much Sicker Than She Let On"
Andy Burnham Drops Plan to Cap Political Donations
Conservative Leadership Contest Intensifies as Robert Jenrick Attacks Kemi Badenoch
French-Born Defence Secretary Wes Streeting Condemns Homophobic Abuse Since Taking Office
UK Government Delays Commercial Robotaxi Rollout in London Over Regulatory Gaps
NHS Complaints About Autism and ADHD Care Waiting Times Triple Over Five Years
UK Government Launches 10,000 Work Placements for Young People With Sainsbury's
NHS England to Offer Free At-Home Cervical Cancer Screening Kits
EU Biometric Border Checks Cause Delays of Up to Five Hours for British Travellers
US Imposes Economic Sanctions on UK-Based Protest Group Palestine Action
Two Planned UK Datacentres Could Produce More Annual Carbon Emissions Than ExxonMobil's Entire UK Operation
London Surgeons Complete First Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Brain Tumour Removal
UK Services Growth Rebounds as Consumer Confidence Reaches Two-Year High
Ofgem Confirms Four Percent October Energy Price Cap Increase for UK Households
Government Considers Insolvency Law Changes to Bring Thames Water Into Public Ownership
Andy Burnham Signs Artificial Intelligence Defence Pact During Visit to Kyiv
Church of England Faces Renewed Scrutiny Over Historical Safeguarding Failures
Reform UK Proposes £30 Tax Credit for Long HMRC Telephone Queues
Greater Manchester Secures More Than £100 Million to Upgrade Victorian Railway Stations
East Midlands Railway Urges Essential Travel Ahead of Bank Holiday Strikes
UK Economy Grows 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter as Global and Energy Pressures Weigh
UK Government and Sainsbury’s Launch Plan for 10,000 Youth Work Experience Placements
Scottish Government Plans Tighter Remote-Working Rules and Possible Voluntary Redundancies
Scottish Budget Faces More Than £700 Million Reduction After Tax Revenue Adjustment
Nearly 100 Labour MPs Press Andy Burnham to Back Electoral Reform Commission
UK Energy Price Cap Rises Four Percent to £1,723 as Middle East Conflict Drives Wholesale Gas Costs
Turnbull Warns AUKUS Could Leave Australia Without Promised Nuclear Submarines
California Billionaires Pour More Than $150 Million Into Fight Over Proposed Wealth Tax
German Broadcaster Goes Dark to Warn AfD Could End Its Saxony-Anhalt Service
Badenoch Plans Major Shadow Cabinet Reshuffle as Tories Struggle in Third Place
UK Government Demands Action Against Social Media Content Promoting Dangerous Driving
Labour Backbenchers Prepare Push for Electoral Reform Under Andy Burnham
Fire at Gatwick Airport Car Park Destroys 140 Vehicles and Cuts Local Power
UK Plans Voluntary Libido-Suppressing Medication Programme Across 20 Prisons
NHS England Launches Free Home Cervical Cancer Testing Kits Nationwide
Imperial College Study Warns North Sea Oil Projects Could Cause Hundreds of Billions of Pounds in Climate Damage
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Middle East Conflict Pushes Up Energy Costs
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv to Strengthen UK Support for Ukraine
Premier League Season Opens With Managerial Debuts and Dramatic Early Fixtures
England Cricket Drops Brydon Carse From Selection Pending Club Investigation
Graeme Dott Convicted of Child Sexual Abuse Offences in Scotland
Protesters Occupy British Aircraft Parts Factory Over Alleged Military Links to Israel
More Than 100 Former British and French Diplomats Call for Sanctions on Israel
Ipsos Poll Shows British Public Split Between Immigration Controls and Economic Growth
British Cybersecurity Agencies Raise Alert Over Growing Threats to Critical Infrastructure
Two-Thirds of England Now Under Official Drought Conditions After Prolonged Summer Heat
Institute of Directors Calls for Urgent Action to Revive Britain’s Stagnant Labour Market
Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv on First Foreign Trip and Pledges Continued British Support for Ukraine
New Daily Diabetes and Weight-Loss Pill Launches in UK Pharmacies
UK Payroll Employment Falls by 94,000 as Labour Market Cools
×