Latest news with #SirJeremyFleming
Sky News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Long-term impact of Israel's war 'will extend to Europe and beyond', former spy chief warns
The former head of GCHQ has told Sky News that the long-term consequences of Israel's military offensive in Gaza will extend to "Europe and beyond". Speaking to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim podcast, Sir Jeremy Fleming also warned that extremists may use the conflict to radicalise young people. He welcomed the UK, France and Canada joining forces to condemn Israel's "wholly disproportionate" actions in Gaza. Earlier this week, the three countries threatened to take "concrete actions", including targeted sanctions, unless Israel paused its latest offensive and lifted aid restrictions. The prime minister joined his counterparts in warning "the level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable", but their remarks were condemned by Benjamin Netanyahu. Sir Jeremy said their statement used "the strongest possible language" - but argued it was "a little bit overdue". "I think it's what most of the world has been thinking now for some time," he added. 7:44 The ex-spy chief stepped down as GCHQ's director in 2023 after six years in the role - and joined MI5 back in 1993. Sir Jeremy was asked whether current events in the Middle East could be exploited, leading to the creation of homegrown terror networks in countries like the UK and US. "I'm pretty sure that it will be part of the radicalisation process for some people," he said. "It will provide an additional trigger, if you like, to move down the track towards violent extremism." 2:45 He added: "The longer-term implications of this are incredibly difficult. And the absence of a political process makes it really hard to stomach." Elsewhere in the interview, Sir Jeremy raised concerns that artificial intelligence could create new national security threats, and be weaponised by adversaries to cause harm.
Sky News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Former spy chief on Gaza, China, and cyber warfare
👉Listen to The World With Richard Engel And Yalda Hakim on your podcast app👈 Former GCHQ director Sir Jeremy Fleming joins Richard and Yalda for a wide-ranging conversation covering the war in Gaza, Donald Trump's foreign policy, the threat of China and the dangers of AI. What does the former spy chief think will happen in the war in Ukraine? How close is a nuclear deal with Iran? What are the biggest threats to the UK's national security? Sir Jeremy, who held the top role for six years before leaving in 2023, also answers questions from listeners on spies, cyber wars and who might be the next James Bond. GCHQ, short for Government Communications Headquarters, is the UK's largest intelligence agency, focusing on counter terrorism, cyber security and international intelligence. To get in touch or to share questions for Richard and Yalda, email theworld@ Click here to visit their YouTube channel where you can watch all the episodes. Episodes of The World With Richard Engel And Yalda Hakim will be available every Wednesday on all podcast platforms.
Telegraph
19-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Former GCHQ chief joins Oxford quantum start-up amid race against China
The former head of GCHQ has joined the board of an Oxford quantum computing start-up as Britain vies with China and the US for an edge developing the cutting-edge supercomputers. Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) has appointed Sir Jeremy Fleming, who led the spy agency until 2023, as a director. The start-up has raised more than £100m to build a fleet of advanced quantum computers, some of which are already being tested by customers. Its plans pit it against US technology giants including Google and IBM, which are working on their own quantum machines, and China, where Beijing is directing efforts to develop its own version of the technology. Quantum computing aims to exploit the properties of quantum physics to develop machines that are far superior to current, classical supercomputers. So far, these computers have had only limited use cases and are prone to errors, but there are hopes they could help revolutionise scientific study, finance and drug discovery. The technology is also the subject of national security scrutiny, given these computers could in theory be used to crack the world's most advanced encryption algorithms, presenting a hacking threat if used by a hostile state. Sir Jeremy was appointed to lead GCHQ, the UK's signals intelligence agency, in 2017, heading up the organisation for six years. He previously worked at MI5 on counter-terrorism and led its security efforts for the London Olympics. His appointment shows the keen interest the national security establishment has taken in the development of quantum technology. Gerald Mullaly, interim chief executive of OQC, said: 'We are absolutely delighted that Sir Jeremy is joining our board. It reinforces the absolute significance of quantum computing to national security and defence, not only in terms of our focus on those sectors, but also for the UK and the country's economic resilience.' The UK has pledged to spend £2.5bn developing quantum computing by 2033, although this is eclipsed by the estimated £11bn that China has confirmed it is spending on the technology. The US innovation agency Darpa, meanwhile, has said it plans to spend $1bn acquiring a quantum computer over the next decade. There are fears in the industry that UK funding for the nascent technology could come under pressure from Rachel Reeves's upcoming spending review. OQC has built and operates several quantum computers, including the only quantum computer in the UK in a data centre. Mr Mullaly said he believed the company would have a quantum computer by 2028 that could run millions of quantum operations at once and far surpass the capabilities of any traditional supercomputer on the planet. Crucial applications could include cyber defence, with a quantum computer able to spot tiny anomalies that traditional computer systems would miss. The computers could also be used for fraud detection, helping banks better block billions of pounds in false transactions.
