Tinker Tailor Campaigner Spy Great powers once meddled in other country’s elections secretly. Now they are happy for everyone to know.

Tinker Tailor Campaigner Spy
Great powers once meddled in other country’s elections secretly. Now they are happy for everyone to know

www.politico.com/news/magazin...

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The FBI Director Is MIA Kash Patel has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.

"...Patel was preparing to leave work for the weekend, he struggled to log into an internal computer system. He quickly became convinced that he had been locked out ... frantically calling aides and allies to announce that he had been fired".
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Starmer was kept in dark about Mandelson’s vetting by two other top civil servants Exclusive: Officials have spent weeks debating whether or not to release highly sensitive information about the affair

"... the Guardian can reveal that two other top civil servants, including the cabinet secretary, Antonia Romeo, failed to immediately notify him when they discovered that UK Security Vetting (UKSV) had advised that Mandelson should be denied clearance".

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

MI5 sharing all paramilitary intelligence with PSNI, watchdog says Dr Jonny Byrne says ‘PSNI have sight and access to all Security Service intelligence relating to terrorism’

MI5 sharing all paramilitary intelligence with PSNI, watchdog says

www.irishnews.com/news/norther...

Counter Terrorism Policing update on various arson attacks in north west London Due to the nature and circumstances of the three incidents, they are all now being investigated by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London.

"We are now dealing with an unprecedented level of national security investigations with suspected links to foreign states, many of those with dangerous and often reckless intentions".
news.met.police.uk/news/counter...

Mate, people fail vetting. It's not unheard of and happens.

The problem today is everyone is apparently a vetting expert despite knowing little about the issues in this case.

And, as if by magic, a cheaper paperback version of my book on vetting has appeared - get it on Christmas eve 😉

"What is of special interest ... is, not the division between intelligence and operations but the means by which the clandestine service is kept under continuous policy control".

-- How to Organize an Intelligence Service: The British Example, 1961

nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/339...

Keir Starmer did not know Mandelson failed vetting, government says A decision to go against the recommendation of the vetting agency was taken by officials in the Foreign Office, spokesperson says.

BBC News - Starmer did not know Mandelson failed vetting, government says
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"According to multiple sources, Mandelson was initially denied clearance in late January 2025 after a developed vetting process, a highly confidential background check by security officials".

Revealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decision Guardian investigation uncovers decision by UK security officials to deny clearance before Mandelson took up role as US ambassador

Revealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decision

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Mossad Says Israel Will Keep Trying to Topple Iran’s Government Israel’s spy chief pledged more covert efforts to try to topple Iran’s government, a tacit acknowledgment the countries’ conflict will continue even as the US pursues a new round of peace negotiations...

Israel’s spy chief pledged more covert efforts to try to topple Iran’s government, a tacit acknowledgment the countries’ conflict will continue even as the US pursues a new round of peace negotiations with the Islamic Republic www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Russia ramps up ‘destructive’ cyberattacks on Europe, says Sweden Moscow behind attack on Swedish heating plant last year, Swedish minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said.

Russia ramps up ‘destructive’ cyberattacks on Europe, says Sweden www.politico.eu/article/swed...

Our evaluation of Claude Mythos Preview’s cyber capabilities | AISI Work We conducted cyber evaluations of Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview and found continued improvement in capture-the-flag (CTF) challenges and significant improvement on multi-step cyber-attack simulati...

This paper represents a small but deeply impressive and genuinely important achievement by the much maligned British state in what is probably the most important global issue of our era.

Hear me out ( 🧵) 1/

www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/our-eva...

👀 Drawing of a minesweeper under construction for the German navy by the Gusto shipyard at Schiedam, near Rotterdam, in January 1944.

It was drawn one of SIS's agents operating from Sweden as part of a larger network reporting on shipping.

Iran used Chinese spy satellite to target US military bases in Middle East – report IRGC bought satellite in late 2024 after it was launched into space, and directed it to monitor bases before and after missile and drone strikes on them, Financial Times says

Iran used Chinese spy satellite to target US military bases in Middle East – report

www.timesofisrael.com/iran-used-ch...

Estonia unmasks record number of Russian spies The country’s intelligence service warns non-military threats — including sabotage, espionage, and information campaigns — are becoming increasingly prominent.

Estonia unmasks record number of Russian spies www.politico.eu/article/esto...

Roman Gofman’s Mossad chief appointment signals a paradigm shift | The Jerusalem Post Every new Mossad chief changes things, closes old departments, opens new ones, and promotes some mid-level commanders to replace portions of the Mossad high command.

"Netanyahu has wanted new players in top spots who felt less institutional loyalty to their agencies, so that they would be more loyal to him, both on policy and when policy and politics would overlap".

www.jpost.com/israel-news/...

John Le Carré's Legacy of Spies begins filming as further casting announced Adapted from The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, and drawing on material from A Legacy of Spies, the series marks the first time either novel has been adapted for the small screen

John Le Carré's Legacy of Spies begins filming as further casting announced

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...

Partisans sabotage key transit hub for Russian military cargo to Zaporizhzhia front Agents of the ATESH partisan movement destroyed a diesel locomotive near the Likhovskaya railway station in Russia’s Rostov region – a key transit point for military cargo heading toward the Zaporizhz...

Partisans sabotage key transit hub for Russian military cargo to Zaporizhzhia front share.google/Hx9WgYeaaAkX...

Ex-CIA director calls for ousting Trump: ‘25th amendment was written with him in mind’ John Brennan says president who made volatile remarks about destroying Iranian civilization ‘is clearly unhinged’

Ex-CIA director calls for ousting Trump: ‘25th amendment was written with him in mind’

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

This should be a useful resource.

Prime minister to scrap spy chiefs' Hillsborough Law veto Security chiefs will not be able to block spies from giving evidence to future public inquiries.

BBC News - Prime minister to scrap spy chiefs' Hillsborough Law veto - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

And I'm wondering where "full-throated" support for the US would have got us, Richard.

Not the first time he's been very wrong.

Victor Madeira, Britannia and the Bear is very good, as is Quinlan, The Secret War Between the Wars which is largely on MI5.

Netanyahu's military secretary Roman Gofman approved to serve as next Mossad chief | The Times of Israel www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahus-m...

Iran Has Thousands of Missiles and Could Retrieve Launchers, U.S. Intelligence Finds The White House says devastating attacks on Iran have strengthened its hand in coming talks, but some officials say Iran could still field more missiles.

Iran Has Thousands of Missiles and Could Retrieve Launchers, U.S. Intelligence Finds

www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Viral Lego videos show a shift in Iranian propaganda | CNN After decades of outdated propaganda, Iran is trying something new. Lego videos, raps and memes pushing pro-government points of view are dominating social media. But what’s behind this shift? CNNs Le...

Viral Lego videos show a shift in Iranian propaganda

www.cnn.com/2026/04/10/w...

Should Canada’s spy agency be more like CIA, MI6? CSIS memo outlines concerns An internal Canadian Security Intelligence Service memo says allowing the spy agency to collect foreign intelligence overseas would capitalize on its “existing footprint and expertise,” but might also invite a host of problems.

"Canada can only learn and act so much through its current collection and authorities, and has historically relied on allied partnerships for certain foreign intelligence reporting".

www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art...