London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Aug 05, 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
Spain and Morocco Trade Blame After 72,000 Migrants Enter Ceuta
Met Police Investigated Journalist Who Questioned Cambridge Professor
Badenoch Defends Tory Candidate Jailed for Antisemitic Abuse of Luciana Berger
NHS Spends £240m a Year Storing Paper Records Despite Digital Push
Apple Seeks Court Order to Stop OpenAI Using Alleged Trade Secrets
Breaking With the Past: One of the World’s Smallest Countries Changes Its Name
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
Comcast: Tied to a Chair and Hit in the Face With Cake: The Regular Humiliation Ritual at the US Corporate Giant
Aston Martin Faces Legal Threat Over £550m Rescue Deal
Conservative Party and Reform UK Face Growing Scrutiny Over Political Transparency
GMB and Public Sector Unions Prepare for Wider Debate Over Government Priorities
UK Government Faces Pressure to Address National Water Infrastructure Failures
NHS Radiographers Report Rising Racist Abuse From Patients
Breast Cancer Experts Call for Overhaul of NHS Diagnostic Approach
UK Government Reviews Prison Policy After Debate Over Capacity and Public Safety
Nigel Farage Faces Questions Over Leadership Discussions and Five Million Pound Donation
Conservative Party Faces Candidate Controversy Over Former Antisemitic Activist
UK Energy Industry Pushes for Greater Role for Domestic Oil and Gas Production
Gatwick Expansion Debate Continues as Airport Prepares for Second Runway Construction
Reform UK Wants the Royal Navy to Return Channel Boats to France
Government Faces Pressure Over Charity Funding Linked to Illegal Israeli Settlements
UK Fire Chiefs Demand Ban on Disposable Barbecues During Severe Drought
Medical Review Warns Current Breast Cancer Guidelines Miss Many Young Women
NHS Mental Health Trust Announces Twenty-Five Million Pound Service Cuts
MI6 Rated Europe’s Most Capable Foreign Intelligence Service in International Review
UK Watchdog Finds Serious Failures in Electronic Offender Monitoring System
BP Chief Warns UK Must Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Capacity
Water Supply Crisis Threatens England’s Housing Expansion Plans
UK Government Rewrites Procurement Rules to Prioritise Jobs Over Environmental Targets
English Channel Rescue Operation Saves One Hundred Seventy-Three Migrants After Boat Capsizes
Gatwick Airport Wins Legal Approval for Second Runway Expansion
UK Government Tightens Early Prison Release Scheme After Public Backlash Over Offender Freedoms
US and Japan Step In to Support the Yen in Rare Joint Intervention
The AI Pricing Problem: Companies Cannot Predict Their Own Bills
Europe’s Heat and Drought Are Now Disrupting Power, Shipping and Tourism
Apple’s OpenAI Lawsuit Becomes a Public Fight Over AI Hardware
UK Man Jailed After Keeping His Mother’s Body in a Freezer and Claiming £78,000
A SpaceX Rocket Is About to Crash Into the Moon — and Scientists Hope to Watch
World War II munitions discovered after wildfires in southern France
BP profits reach four-year high amid Middle East conflict
Europe’s Drying Rivers Trigger Power Cuts, Factory Shutdowns and Wildfire Emergencies
UK Driver Sentenced to Four Years for Staged Electric Vehicle Brake Failure Fraud
Conservative Party and Reform UK Face Scrutiny During Clacton By-Election Campaign
Ministry of Justice Reviews Early Release Rules After Public Anger Over Police Killer Cases
NHS Radiographers Report Rising Racist Abuse From Patients Across UK Hospitals
UK Banking Regulators Face Pressure After Customer Loses Fourteen Thousand Pounds in AI Voice Scam
Research Challenges Treasury Control Over UK Public Spending and Calls for Greater Local Decision-Making
Home Office Begins Four-Week Weapons Surrender Campaign Across Major English Cities
Southern England Records Driest July in Nearly Two Centuries as Drought Concerns Grow
Apple Challenges UK Government Request for Access to Encrypted User Data in Legal Fight
×