Career spy Blaise Metreweli to become first woman to head MI6
She will take over from Sir Richard Moore as the 18th Chief, also known as "C", when he steps down in the autumn.
"The historic appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital," Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement released on Sunday night.
"The United Kingdom is facing threats on an unprecedented scale - be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber plots seek to disrupt our public services."
Of the other main spy agencies, GCHQ is also under female command for the first time.
Anne Keast-Butler took on the role in 2023, while MI5 has previously twice been led by a woman.
Until now, a female spy chief had only headed MI6 - also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) - in the James Bond movies.
Dame Judi Dench held the fictional role - called "M" in the films instead of "C" - between 1995 and 2015.
Ms Metreweli currently serves as "Q", one of four director generals inside MI6.
The position - also made famous by the James Bond films, with the fictional "Q" producing an array of spy gadgets - means she is responsible for technology and innovation.
Ms Metreweli, a Cambridge graduate, joined MI6 in 1999.
Unlike the outgoing chief, who spent some of his service as a regular diplomat in the foreign office, including as ambassador to Turkey, she has spent her entire career as an intelligence officer.
Much of that time was dedicated to operational roles in the Middle East and Europe.
Ms Metreweli, who is highly regarded by colleagues, also worked as a director at MI5.
In a statement, she said she was "proud and honoured to be asked to lead my service".
"MI6 plays a vital role - with MI5 and GCHQ - in keeping the British people safe and promoting UK interests overseas," she said.
"I look forward to continuing that work alongside the brave officers and agents of MI6 and our many international partners."
Sir Richard said: "Blaise is a highly accomplished intelligence officer and leader, and one of our foremost thinkers on technology. I am excited to welcome her as the first female head of MI6."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Chants of 'shame on you' yelled by pro-Palestine supporters during demo at RAF High Wycombe
Pro-Palestine protesters chanted ' RAF shame on you' as they held a demonstration outside an air base calling for an embargo on selling arms to Israel. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered along the barbed wire fence of RAF High Wycombe on Saturday afternoon at the protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Protesters held banners that said 'end British military collaboration with Israel' and '61,000+ killed, 600 RAF spy flights'. There were chants of 'RAF you work for us, Israel is not your boss', 'RAF shame, shame - killing children in your name' and 'RAF blood on your hands'. A large Palestine flag was erected in front of a replica Second World War Hurricane fighter plane outside the entrance to the air base, with organisers bussing in protesters from High Wycombe railway station. The demonstrators assembled outside the air base held a large red banner as they chanted 'we are the red line, UK for Palestine', with protesters banging pots and drumming throughout the protest. Speaking at the demonstration, Adnan Hmidan, chairman of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, said: 'The RAF is not just a bystander, it is a partner in collective punishment. 'It is a partner in ethnic cleansing and the most important thing is it is a partner in the genocide against the people in Gaza. 'Every war plane that reaches Israel with British parts or British support makes this country complicit in the killing of children.' Addressing the crowds, activist Andrew Feinstein said: 'For the last 22 months, there are more RAF spy planes flying over Gaza than there have been Israeli Air Force spy planes. 'That information then gets relayed to the IDF to inform what they call their targeting decisions, but we know that their targeting is totally indiscriminate. 'So, the people who sit in these buildings are the ones guiding the IDF around Gaza. That is active participation in a genocide. 'The people sitting in these buildings should sit for the rest of their lives in The Hague in prison for their participation in genocide.' The Palestine Solidarity Campaign said: 'On 16th August, as part of our summer of action for Gaza, we will be surrounding RAF High Wycombe, drawing on the legacy of protest at air bases like Greenham Common, and showing the strength of the public demand for an arms embargo.' A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: 'We are aware of a protest being planned to take place in High Wycombe today. 'We will work with the organisers, partners and the public to facilitate peaceful protest, balancing the rights of all and to keep our communities safe.' RAF High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire houses Headquarters Air Command and was originally designed to house RAF Bomber Command in the late 1930s. The station is also the headquarters of the European Air Group and the UK Space Command. Last weekend in central London, 15,000 people demonstrated peacefully in support of the Palestinian cause with only one arrest, the Metropolitan Police said, adding that 522 were arrested 'for an illegal show of support for Palestine Action on the same day'. The Metropolitan Police said on Friday that a further 60 people will be prosecuted for 'showing support for the proscribed terrorist group Palestine Action'. The force said this follows the arrest of more than 700 people since the group was banned on July 5, including 522 in central London last Saturday. More prosecutions are expected in the coming weeks and arrangements have been put in place 'that will enable us to investigate and prosecute significant numbers each week if necessary', the Met said. Last week, the Met confirmed the first three charges in England and Wales for offences against section 13 of the Terrorism Act relating to Palestine Action. Palestine Action was proscribed by the UK Government in July, with the ban meaning that membership of, or support for, the group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison, under the Terrorism Act 2000.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Farage adviser said UK would be better off if it had not fought Nazi Germany
An adviser used by Nigel Farage and others in Reform UK to boost their social media popularity has suggested that Britain would be better off had it stayed neutral in the second world war instead of fighting Nazi Germany. Jack Anderton, who ran Farage's hugely successful TikTok account before helping Luke Campbell become the Reform mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, also said the UK should not support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. In a post on his personal blog about Britain's international standing, Anderton said that in a future world of 'meritocracy', the UK could 'regain' former colonies such as Australia, Canada and South Africa. He added that the UK should copy the policy of mass incarceration carried out by El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, widely condemned as an abuse of human rights. Anderton has never been employed by Reform but the 23-year-old established Farage on TikTok, where he now has 1.3m followers, before working closely on Campbell's election campaign. He remains a central part of Campbell's circle, and the mayor is known to have made efforts to get him on to his roster of staff, which have been thwarted because he cannot have political appointees. Anderton's personal blog, titled Britain Needs Change, includes an entry from last year about what he called 'a self-interested British foreign policy', arguing that the only conflict in the last century that was in the UK's interest was the Falklands war. 'Trillions of pounds of British taxes have been spent in foreign lands in the pursuit of 'democracy', 'human rights' and 'doing what is right',' the post said. 'More than a million British lives have been lost since WW1 in wars and battles that have never once been fought by British men, on this island.' Fighting in both the world wars ensured the UK was no longer a great power, he wrote: 'We impoverished ourselves for decades, we didn't finish paying the loans off to America until 2006. Our economy stagnated, we lost an empire, and we are pushed around by America. And Germany, a country we beat, has been richer than us since the 1970s. 'Alternative history is interesting; if Britain had not fought in WW1 and WW2, it would not have had to rely on America for economic support, and it would have had the independence to act accordingly. Britain could have developed India, Cyprus, Fiji, Malta, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, the Bahamas, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand. In the coming meritocracy, perhaps Britain could regain some of these nations.' The same post also argues against providing support for Ukraine after Russia's invasion: 'We are sending billions of pounds (that we cannot afford) to prop up a country that we have no allegiance to. Russia is not our enemy, they have not attacked Britain.' Anderton calls for a shake-up of the Foreign Office so that all decisions are made purely on the basis of whether or not they benefit Britain: 'Instead, what we have are people who should be working for the UN or a charity rather than working in the British Foreign Office.' In another post from 2024, on crime, Anderton enthusiastically endorses the policies of Nayib Bukele, who has dramatically cut gang violence and wider crime through mass detentions that have put 2% of El Salvador's population in prison. 'Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures,' he wrote. 'I'd even argue the measures aren't that extraordinary and should be in place in times of normalcy. 'El Salvador is perhaps a lesson for those in Britain who wish to take back control of their country. Power works, and it is all that matters. State power when used effectively is basically omnipotent. The meritocracy will be established, criminals and corrupt officials will be jailed, immigration will drop to zero, houses will be built, and our citizens will once again feel proud of the country they call home.' Anderton was contacted for comment. Campbell's office referred the matter to Reform UK, who said Anderton was not employed by either the party or the mayor.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Lib Dem leader backs calls for urgent locks work on the River Cam
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has added his voice to calls for urgent repairs to locks on a city's river, saying it faces a "catastrophe".Jesus Green Lock and Bait's Bite Lock on the River Cam in Cambridgeshire have been closed to navigation since June 2024 after being deemed possible collapse of a lock island could take out a sluice, lowering the river water level, which could put an end to Environment Agency previously told the BBC it was aware of the situation and was working with the Conservators, who manage a stretch of the river, to "support them with this issue to ensure a co-ordinated and effective response". Martin Smart, the Labour Cambridge City Council cabinet member for nature, open spaces and city services, said the authority had provided two of its "top officers" to work with the Conservators to come up with a Green Lock is in the city centre and Baits Bite Lock is in Milton, north of Ed, speaking after he tried punting on the Cam on Friday, said: "I think these locks urgently need to be repaired and potentially rebuilt."David Goode, chair of the Conservators of the River Cam, who manage the river between Bottisham and the Mill Pond, said a structural engineer surveyed two locks as "in imminent danger of collapse".Work to replace the locks could cost about £25m, which he said the group did not have. Sir Ed said the work was "essential for people using the river" and if it was not completed "the river would go to a trickle"."All the jobs, all the revenue, all the tourism that brings to this great city... So this is actually quite an urgent investment and I hope Cambridge City Council can work with the government or with other agencies to get that investment," he said. Earlier this year, the Conservators issued an "organisation in crisis" group said the cost of the repairs and maintenance needed to the river's infrastructure was beyond their financial Goode said that £1.6m "stabilisation work" would start at Baits Bite lock from 25 August, providing a fix which could last between five and 10 years. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
