London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 25, 2025

MI6 'may be committing crimes in UK'

MI6 'may be committing crimes in UK'

MI6 agents and informants may be committing crimes in the UK, a watchdog has revealed.

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal disclosed the ruling despite government attempts to keep the matter secret.

It also said questions raised should be disclosed to campaigners, who have been asking for greater legal clarity over what the intelligence agencies can do.

It comes a day after the intelligence services watchdog raised its own questions about some MI6 activities.

Since 1994, MI6 - the UK's foreign intelligence service - has been able to authorise people that it recruits to help the UK overseas to commit crimes as part of its targeting of threats to the UK.

That power has long-been dubbed the "James Bond clause" - but it does not explicitly permit criminal operations in the UK.

Unprecedented legislation that clarifies how agencies recruiting undercover informants can authorise them to commit crimes is reaching its final stages in Parliament.

The disclosure of crimes potentially committed by people supplying MI6 with intelligence has come amid a long-running court battle over whether such secret undercover activity can ever be legal.

While the legal battle has revealed details of how MI5, the domestic security service, authorises crimes by its informants, Wednesday's disclosure by the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) is the first indication that MI6 may be doing the same.

In the ruling, the IPT rejected secret submissions from the government to keep the entire matter behind closed doors.

The disclosure came the day after the annual report of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, the watchdog that overseas the secret agencies, revealed that one of MI6's agents overseas may have gone rogue and committed serious crimes.

The report says that in 2019 the secret agency had recruited a potential agent overseas and had sought a standard authorisation from the foreign secretary for the individual to potentially commit crimes as part of their work for the UK.

The report does not state which foreign secretary it was.

"The Secret Intelligence Service [MI6] identified a risk that the agent may be involved in serious criminality overseas," said the report. "SIS did not encourage, condone or approve any such criminality on the part of their agent.

"In their submission, SIS set out that they had secured the agent's cooperation on terms of full transparency about the activities in which the agent was involved.

"It included some clear 'red lines', setting out conduct that was not authorised and would result in the termination of SIS's relationship with the agent."

Six months later, when the authorisation had to be reviewed, it appeared that MI6 had concluded the asset had probably crossed those red lines - but they did not tell the foreign secretary, who had to sign off the continuing operation.

"We concluded that the renewal did not provide a comprehensive overview of available information which we believe would have provided the Secretary of State with a fuller and more balanced picture," said the watchdog. "SIS immediately responded to these concerns by updating the FCO."

Campaigners behind the legal action say both revelations prove the public are being kept in the dark.

But ministers say legislation going through Parliament will provide clear safeguards for agents to commit crimes while undercover.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
×