The Investigatory Powers Commissioner's Office (Ipco) has issued a scathing review of MI5's handling of a neo-Nazi informant, known only as agent X, concluding that the spy agency lied about its relationship with him and misled courts and the regulator. Brian Leveson, the investigatory powers commissioner, stated that MI5's management of agent X 'fell far below the standards the public, the courts and Ipco have every right to expect.'
Agent X Exploited MI5 Role to Threaten Girlfriend
Agent X, a foreign national involved in neo-Nazi movements, was recruited by MI5 before 2019. He later attacked his girlfriend, referred to as Beth, with a machete and attempted to use his informant status to discourage her from speaking out. MI5 initially told Ipco and the courts that it could 'neither confirm nor deny' its relationship with him, a standard form of 'no comment,' frustrating Beth's legal efforts to hold the agency accountable.
MI5 Misled Courts and Regulator
The Ipco report, published on Thursday, details how MI5 officers initially misled the courts and the regulator about agent X's true status. 'What makes this case particularly grave is that Ipco and the courts were misled,' the watchdog said. 'Failings of candour undermine the entire basis of oversight and accountability.' The report spans 211 pages and criticizes both individual and organizational failures within MI5.
BBC Investigation Uncovered Truth
The case came to light after BBC reporter Daniel de Simone investigated agent X. When De Simone contacted agent X, the informant immediately contacted MI5. Fearing for X's life, officers tried to suppress the BBC report by telling De Simone that X was 'not a real extremist, but was pretending to be so at the behest of MI5.' An MI5 official, Officer 2, confirmed to De Simone that X was an informant, but later told his successor, Officer 3, that he 'thought he had not' done so. Officer 3 then reported that X's status 'had not been breached,' which underpinned MI5's position in court proceedings brought by Beth. When the BBC corrected the record, MI5 was forced to retract and apologize.
Government and MI5 Response
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the Ipco report 'outlines a series of failings both individually and organisationally within MI5 that led to false evidence being included in its witness statements.' She pledged to strengthen oversight of MI5. MI5 Director General Ken McCallum apologized for the failings of candour, repeating apologies to the courts 'for the incorrect evidence that was provided and for our slowness in recognising what had happened.' He also apologized again to Beth, acknowledging she 'suffered additional distress as a consequence of what MI5 got wrong.' The high court and the Investigatory Powers Tribunal will now consider further action against MI5.
