Latest news with #SirRichard
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
MI6 appoints first female chief in 116-year history
The organisation she will be running faces unprecedented and multiple challenges. Geographically, these emanate primarily from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, as the four nations co-operate ever more closely to undermine UK and Western interests across the globe. But there are technical challenges too. MI6's role is to recruit human agents to steal secrets from Britain's adversaries, which include both hostile nations and non-state groups like al-Qaeda. In an age of rapid digital innovation, MI6 is having to pedal ever faster to stay ahead of its enemies and to remain relevant, when so much intelligence is now gathered online and from space. Last September, outgoing chief Sir Richard - alongside then-CIA chief William Burns - warned that the international world was "under threat in a way we haven't seen since the Cold War". Writing in the Financial Times, the pair said that beyond the war in Ukraine, the two foreign intelligence services were continuing to "work together to disrupt the reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe being waged by Russian intelligence". Sir Richard and Mr Burns added that they saw the rise of China as the main intelligence and geopolitical challenge of the century. They also said they had pushed "hard" for restraint and de-escalation in the Middle East. On Sunday, Sir Richard, who will step down in the autumn after five years in the role, said he was "absolutely delighted" with the "historic appointment" of his colleague. "Blaise is a highly accomplished intelligence officer and leader, and one of our foremost thinkers on technology," he said. "I am excited to welcome her as the first female head of MI6." Foreign Secretary David Lammy, to whom Ms Metreweli will be accountable as MI6's new chief, said she was the "ideal" candidate and would ensure the UK was able to tackle the challenges of "global instability and emerging security threats". "I would also like to pay tribute to Sir Richard Moore for his service and leadership," he said. "I have worked closely with him over the past year and thank him for his valuable contribution enhancing our national security and protecting the British public." Sir Keir also thanked Sir Richard for his "dedicated service". "I know Blaise will continue to provide the excellent leadership needed to defend our county and keep our people safe," he added. Additional reporting by Hollie Cole
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Richard Branson locked out of railways in battle to secure state control
Ministers are seeking to thwart Sir Richard Branson's attempt to launch private train services that would compete with Labour's state-run railway. In a letter published on Friday, the Department for Transport said it was opposed to Virgin Trains running services between London and Glasgow because it would siphon ticket revenues away from government-run trains. It has also opposed seven other 'open access' proposals put forward by private providers, including five put forward by London-listed FirstGroup, one by Arriva and another by Alliance Rail Limited. 'We have significant concerns over abstraction of revenue from contracted operators and the unreasonable burden that this in turn places upon taxpayers,' the letter to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) stated. 'These concerns are particularly acute with regards to the applications from Virgin and [FirstGroup], with Alliance Rail's proposed Edinburgh-Cardiff services also posing significant risk. 'We expect that ORR will fully investigate and take into account the material impact to the Secretary of State's funds and to taxpayers of each open access application and will pay close regard to this in its decision making.' The objections, first reported by the Financial Times, come as Labour is seeking to bring the railways back into public ownership under the auspices of a new body, Great British Railways. Rather than revoking existing private operating contracts, ministers will allow deals to expire without renewal. However, companies including Sir Richard's Virgin Trains are attempting to maintain a presence through so-called open access rules. These allow private operators to offer services alongside the main operator of a rail line, so long as the route is under-served and there is sufficient capacity for more trains. Examples of such services today include Lumo, which operates on the East Coast Mainline between London and Edinburgh, as well as the Heathrow Express on the Great Western Mainline and Hull Trains, in Yorkshire. However, the Department for Transport warned that the various services would damage the performance of existing services and drain away fare revenue, rather than adding extra demand. Virgin's proposals to run trains between London, Preston, Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham New Street and Glasgow Central would lead to £110.5m of revenues being 'abstracted' from government services while generating £19.7m of new revenues, it claimed. This represented 'a very high level of absolute abstraction and the Department is of the belief that this represents an unacceptable level of impact to taxpayers', the Government warned the Office of Rail and Road. 'Further, given the greatly constrained overall position of rail finances, the loss of revenue on such a significant scale would materially impact the funds available to the Secretary of State to support and improve the railway,' the letter added. Phil Whittingham, head of Virgin's train business, insisted the company still planned to push ahead with its bid, telling the Financial Times the private service would probably cause ministers 'a bit of a headache' but that competition would ultimately benefit both sides. FirstGroup insisted its proposals 'enjoy widespread stakeholder support' and would 'coexist with other operators and create demand on these routes'. On Friday, a government spokesman said: 'Our number one priority for the railways is to provide passengers with the reliable, accessible and better quality services they deserve. 'We're supportive of open access services which can encourage growth, improve connectivity and provide more choice for passengers but these benefits must outweigh the costs to the taxpayer and impacts to network performance.' A final decision will be made by the regulator, the spokesman added. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
