Stella Rimington, Britain's first female MI5 spy chief, dies at 90

Boston Globe

3 hours ago

MI5's current director-general,
Born in London in 1935, Ms. Rimington studied English at Edinburgh University and later worked as an archivist. She was living in India with her diplomat husband in the mid-1960s when she was recruited by MI5, Britain's domestic security service, as a part-time clerk and typist in its New Delhi office.
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She joined the agency full-time after moving back to London in 1969 and rose through the ranks, overcoming rules that kept the most prestigious roles, such as recruiting and running agents, for men only.
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She worked in each of MI5's operational branches — counterespionage, counterterrorism, and counter-subversion — at a time when MI5's work included sniffing out Soviet spies, infiltrating Northern Ireland militant groups, and, controversially, spying on leftists, trade union leaders, and other alleged subversives.
Ms. Rimington acknowledged in 2001 that the organization 'may have been a bit over-enthusiastic' in some of its snooping on domestic targets during the Cold War.
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Ms. Rimington was appointed MI5 director-general in 1992, the first head of the organization to be named in public, and her tenure saw the secretive organization become slightly more open.
Dench's first appearance as M, a role formerly played by men, was in 'GoldenEye' in 1995. The film's producers said the casting was inspired by Ms. Rimington's appointment.
After stepping down in 1996, Ms. Rimington was made a dame, the female equivalent of a knight, by Queen Elizabeth II.
Ms. Rimington later published a memoir, 'Open Secret' — to the displeasure of the government — and a series of spy thrillers featuring fictional MI5 officer Liz Carlyle.
'The Devil's Bargain,' published in 2022, introduced a new heroine, CIA officer Manon Tyler.
Other women followed her top intelligence jobs. Eliza Manningham-Buller led MI5 between 2002 and 2007.
Ms. Rimington and her husband, John Rimington, separated in the 1980s, but moved back in together during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
'It's a good recipe for marriage, I'd say,' she said. 'Split up, live separately, and return to it later.'
She is survived by her husband, two daughters, and five grandchildren.