Sir Alex Younger, former head of MI6, has died at 62 after a battle with cancer. Younger led the Secret Intelligence Service from 2014 to 2020, earning tributes for his dedication to national and global security.
Sir Alex Younger, former head of MI6, has died at the age of 62 following cancer treatment. He led the British intelligence service from 2014 to 2020 and had a career spanning nearly three decades.
US data analytics firm Palantir, valued at $375bn, faces growing criticism for its AI-driven software used by governments and corporations globally, including the NHS and US military. Concerns range from data privacy and potential misuse to its CEO's controversial statements and its role in geopolitical tensions.
Newly released documents reveal Peter Mandelson received sensitive security briefings and met with MI6 heads before completing his vetting process for the Washington ambassador role. Questions remain over withheld documents and security concerns.
Hitman developer IO Interactive’s pluralistic take on the British secret agent – his first video-game outing in almost 15 years – promises a Bond for all eras. Here’s what you need to knowIf you want to tell the tale of a young James Bond, you first need to pick which James Bond he’s going to grow into. This was the task handed to Hitman developer IO Interactive, the studio taking digital custody of the spy in 007 First Light, Bond’s first video game in almost 15 years. So what’s it to be? Will their agent take baby steps towards Sean Connery’s gruff masculinity, or is he practising Roger Moore’s arched eyebrow in the bathroom mirror? That’s if he’s a “movie” Bond at all. For a generation of gamers, the character exists most vividly as a hand at the bottom of the screen in GoldenEye 007.As it turns out, 007 First Light’s Bond, depicted by Patrick Gibson (cornering a specific market, having played the serial killer-to-be in the Dexter origins show) is an amalgam: the facial scar is an Ian Fleming detail, but the sweet-talking charm is straight from the Pierce Brosnan playbook, and the second you barge a goon into a bookcase you know someone’s been studying Casino Royale on a loop. Trying to devise a Bond for all fandoms could risk satisfying none, but in the demo we played, the performance works. Crucially, Gibson brings an outsider’s unease that’s all his own, anchored by the arrogance that’ll one day be weaponised by MI6. Continue reading...
Journalists were uninvited from a planned launch at the Natural History Museum last October of a major UK government report on climate and biodiversity threats to national security. The report was to be jointly produced by the environment department and the joint intelligence committee, involving MI5 and MI6. Guardian environment editor Fiona Harvey reports the event was cancelled and the report never published, prompting concerns about what it contained.
MPs jeered as PM said it is ‘incredible’ he was not told full story and he was wrong to appoint Mandelson as US ambassadorAt his press conference Nigel Farage was asked about reports saying that Keir Starmer knew about the security concerns about Peter Mandelson that led to him failing his security vetting interview. That was a reference to the Telegraph splash, which says:Senior Whitehall sources told The Telegraph that the UKSV [UK Security Vetting] findings largely restated security risks that had already been drawn to Sir Keir’s attention.One senior source with knowledge of the process said: “The reality is that Starmer had already been warned about the major risks and he had waved them away.”Sources have told The Independent that MI6 failed to clear the Labour peer largely because of concerns over his business links to China.However, there were also worries that his past links to the disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein “would compromise him”.It’s impossible for the prime minister to say the warning lights weren’t flashing.And if you were prime minister and there were news reports last September that your ambassadorial choice had failed vetting, you would have thought perhaps he might have had some curiosity to try to find out whether this had really happened or not. I just find the whole thing totally incredible. Incredible. There is no way the prime minister couldn’t have known.The Labour backbenchers are not yet of a mood to get rid of their prime minister, although after 7 May they just might be. Continue reading...
Keir Starmer told MPs he did not mislead the Commons over the Peter Mandelson vetting controversy, accepting that information should have been provided to Parliament but denying he lied. The Prime Minister survived a parliamentary session where Kemi Badenoch failed to table a no confidence motion. The controversy stems from Starmer's decision to appoint Mandelson despite concerns about his business record and friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, with claims that Olly Robbins used discretion to overrule the vetting recommendation. Critics argue the appointment was made because Mandelson was seen as a suitable interlocutor for Donald Trump.
A senior UK minister has criticised the Foreign Office for withholding information from senior ministers about a UKSV recommendation to deny Peter Mandelson development and clearance. The minister described it as beggaring belief that such information was not shared, stating it should have been available to Parliament and the British people.
PM tells MPs he was wrong to appoint Peter Mandelson ambassador to US in his update to parliament Judgment day for PM over Mandelson scandalAt his press conference Nigel Farage was asked about reports saying that Keir Starmer knew about the security concerns about Peter Mandelson that led to him failing his security vetting interview. That was a reference to the Telegraph splash, which says:Senior Whitehall sources told The Telegraph that the UKSV [UK Security Vetting] findings largely restated security risks that had already been drawn to Sir Keir’s attention.One senior source with knowledge of the process said: “The reality is that Starmer had already been warned about the major risks and he had waved them away.”Sources have told The Independent that MI6 failed to clear the Labour peer largely because of concerns over his business links to China.However, there were also worries that his past links to the disgraced financier and convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein “would compromise him”.It’s impossible for the prime minister to say the warning lights weren’t flashing.And if you were prime minister and there were news reports last September that your ambassadorial choice had failed vetting, you would have thought perhaps he might have had some curiosity to try to find out whether this had really happened or not. I just find the whole thing totally incredible. Incredible. There is no way the prime minister couldn’t have known.The Labour backbenchers are not yet of a mood to get rid of their prime minister, although after 7 May they just might be. Continue reading...
Downing Street has signalled that Keir Starmer accepts he inadvertently misled MPs by not telling them that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting interview for ambassador to the US. The PM's spokesperson said parliament should have been given the information about the security vetting that led to a recommendation that Mandelson should not be approved, but Starmer did not knowingly mislead parliament. Under the ministerial code, only knowingly misleading parliament is a resignation offence.
Downing Street has signalled that Keir Starmer accepts he inadvertently misled MPs by not telling them that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting interview for ambassador to the US. The PM's spokesperson said parliament should have been given this information, but Starmer did not knowingly mislead. Under the ministerial code, only knowingly misleading parliament is a resignation offence. Starmer will update parliament with the full facts. Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed Starmer 'lied' and said Labour MPs may oust him after May election.
Diplômée de Cambridge, experte en technologie, Blaise Metreweli est la première femme à diriger le légendaire MI6, service de renseignement extérieur britannique. Son nom de code ? «C».
The Independent is re-publishing a "World of Trouble" podcast episode featuring former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger, recorded in April 2025. The discussion with Dr. Rachel Ellehuus covers global security, Russia's actions in Ukraine, NATO's future, and the impact of leaders like Putin and Trump.
Former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger, in a republished podcast from April 2025, warns Britain must rearm to counter Russian threats and destabilizing leaders like Putin and Trump. He and Dr. Rachel Ellehuus discuss NATO's future and Europe's resolve against Russia, noting Trump's impact on European security.
