{"id":505,"date":"2020-05-07T06:00:34","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T06:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/revealed-how-britains-profiteering-spymasters-ignored-the-countrys-biggest-threats-like-coronavirus-and-endangered-the-public\/"},"modified":"2023-05-17T15:13:17","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T14:13:17","slug":"revealed-how-britains-profiteering-spymasters-ignored-the-countrys-biggest-threats-like-coronavirus-and-endangered-the-public","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/revealed-how-britains-profiteering-spymasters-ignored-the-countrys-biggest-threats-like-coronavirus-and-endangered-the-public\/","title":{"rendered":"Revealed: How Britain\u2019s profiteering spymasters ignored the country\u2019s biggest threats like coronavirus\u2014and endangered the public"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"video-responsive\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4FdUn8BQi8Y\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600px\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Almost all of Britain\u2019s former spy chiefs are personally profiting from working for cyber security and energy companies after retiring from the UK\u2019s major intelligence agencies, <em>Declassified UK<\/em> can reveal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since 2000, nine out of 10 former chiefs of MI6, MI5 and GCHQ have taken jobs in the cyber security industry, a sector they promoted while in office as key to defending the UK from the \u201cRussian threat\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The British government has been told for over a decade that the \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/news.bbc.co.uk\/1\/hi\/uk_politics\/7548593.stm\">gravest risk<\/a>\u201d to the country is an influenza pandemic, which its National Security Strategy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/the-national-security-strategy-a-strong-britain-in-an-age-of-uncertainty\">identifies<\/a> as a \u201ctier one priority risk\u201d. Yet the security services have largely ignored health threats, despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mi5.gov.uk\/what-we-do\">claiming<\/a> they are guided by the UK\u2019s security strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The burgeoning and profitable cyber industry in the UK, where former spy chiefs gain employment, is now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.infosecurity-magazine.com\/news\/uk-cyber-sector-tops-8bn-as-brexit\/\">worth<\/a> over \u00a38-billion. Sir Iain Lobban, who ran GCHQ from 2008 to 2014, has become director or adviser to 10 private cyber or data security companies since leaving office. His own consultancy, Cyberswift Limited, had over \u00a31-million in <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/company\/09309959\/filing-history\">assets<\/a> by the end of 2018, four years after he left GCHQ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The \u2018revolving door\u2019 between government and industry is meant to be regulated for conflicts of interest by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA). However, <em>Declassified<\/em> can find no evidence that an intelligence chief has ever had an ACOBA application rejected. This allows them to lobby their old agencies on behalf of their private interests after they leave office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One former MI6 head, <strong>Sir John Scarlett,<\/strong> was given <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/396938\/Twelfth_Annual_Report_2010-2011.pdf\">\u201cunconditional approval\u201d<\/a> by ACOBA when he became an adviser to a major oil company in 2011, meaning he was immediately free to lobby his former colleagues in intelligence and parliament on behalf of the firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The last three heads of MI6 all joined oil or gas-producing companies, which are among the world\u2019s largest contributors to climate change, after they left the service. <em>Declassified<\/em> can reveal that former MI6 chief, <strong>Sir Richard Dearlove<\/strong>, has earned more than \u00a32-million from his role on the board of American oil and gas company, Kosmos Energy, which was <a href=\"http:\/\/investors.kosmosenergy.com\/news-releases\/news-release-details\/kosmos-energy-ltd-redomestication\">until 2018<\/a> registered in the tax haven of Bermuda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another former MI6 chief, <strong>Sir John Sawers<\/strong>, has earned \u00a3699,000 since 2015 as a board member of oil giant BP, in addition to possessing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2019.pdf\">shares<\/a> in the company worth \u00a391,300.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Climate change has also been largely ignored by the security agencies, evidence suggests, despite the UK government last year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/speeches\/climate-change-as-a-security-risk\">recognising<\/a> it as a \u201csecurity risk\u201d, adding, \u201cThere is no doubt that climate-related security challenges are real. They are here. They are now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Russia and cyber attacks have been evoked as the pre-eminent threats to the UK public, alongside terrorism, in countless <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2018\/may\/14\/mi5-chief-kremlin-russia-is-chief-protagonist-in-campaign-to-undermine-west\">public<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/fc0d234e-311d-11e9-8744-e7016697f225\">interventions<\/a> by intelligence chiefs. Russia <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/sandworm-russia-cyberattack-links\/\">engages<\/a> in offensive cyber operations, as do <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/uk\/home-news\/uks-gchq-blamed-for-cyber-attack-on-belgian-telecoms-company-8830123.html\">Britain<\/a> and its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/06\/15\/us\/politics\/trump-cyber-russia-grid.html\">allies<\/a>, but the constant evocation of a threat from Russia, often without real evidence and amplified in the media, has helped UK security agencies accrue <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theregister.co.uk\/2017\/11\/30\/investigatory_powers_act_illegal_under_eu_law\/\">permissive<\/a> investigatory powers and larger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-33469450\">budgets<\/a>, directly benefiting the private cyber and arms industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A senior UK military commander, Rear Admiral Neil Morisetti, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2013\/jun\/30\/climate-change-security-threat-envoy\">said<\/a> in 2013 that the threat posed to the UK&#8217;s security by climate change is just as grave as that posed by cyber attacks and terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-621698 size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/declassifiedUK-britmasters-inset-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-621698\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sir John Scarlett, former head of MI6, receives \u201cunconditional approval\u201d from the British government to lobby his former employers on behalf of oil giant Statoil. (Twelfth Annual Report 2010-2011: Advisory Committee on Business Appointments).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-badly-prepared-for-coronavirus\"><strong>Badly prepared for coronavirus<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The revelations come amid rising public anger at how it could be that the UK has been so badly prepared to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. The British government has been widely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymaverick.co.za\/article\/2020-03-24-british-security-services-have-ignored-global-health-pandemics-the-uks-biggest-threat\/\">criticised<\/a> for its slow response and its failure to warn the public early about the level of risk posed by coronavirus, prompting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opendemocracy.net\/en\/uk-security-services-face-some-awkward-questions-when-pandemic-over\/\">calls<\/a> for a reconsideration of what constitutes \u201csecurity\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The failure to address major threats to the public is striking in light of the substantial expenditure on the security services. Spending on the Single Intelligence Account \u2013 which covers MI5, MI6, and GCHQ \u2013 is <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/738479\/SIA_Accounts_HC1509_Web_Version.pdf\">predicted<\/a> by the government to be \u00a32.48-billion in 2020-2021. This works out at around \u00a340 for every Briton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It appears that no intelligence chief has ever made money working on the security threats posed by climate change or health pandemics. None also appears to have ever mentioned these threats while in office or after. Public warnings from intelligence chiefs which highlight the security threat from climate change would be likely to adversely impact the profitability of fossil fuel companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Paul Rogers, emeritus professor of peace studies at Bradford University, told <em>Declassified<\/em>: \u201cThe revolving door and its impact in the defence sector are fairly well known but this new investigation of its extent in the intelligence industry is a real eye-opener.\u201d Rogers, who is also an honorary fellow at the UK military\u2019s Joint Services Command and Staff College, added: \u201cIt does much to explain why the pandemic and climate change threats have been so widely discounted in the British security services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MI5 is Britain\u2019s domestic security agency, while MI6 gathers intelligence externally. GCHQ, the largest of the UK\u2019s spy agencies, collects signals intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-where-are-they-now\"><strong>Where are they now?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nine of the 10 former heads of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ since 2000 have gone on to work for companies in the cyber and data security sector. Since 1992 \u2013 the first year after the end of the cold war \u2013 13 of the 16 heads of agencies have done the same. The term \u201ccyber security\u201d is often used as a euphemism for offensive and surveillance products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Heads-of-all-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-621916\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sir Jonathan Evans<\/strong> led MI5 from 2007 until 2013 and within five months of leaving office became a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.darktrace.com\/en\/press\/2013\/2\/\">member<\/a> of the advisory board of Darktrace, a cybersecurity company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymaverick.co.za\/article\/2019-11-15-conflicts-of-interest-judge-in-julian-assange-case-fails-to-declare-sons-links-to-uk-and-us-intelligence\/\">created<\/a> by the UK intelligence establishment. He also became an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artificiallawyer.com\/2017\/11\/29\/legal-ai-co-luminance-gets-10m-funding-brings-in-ex-mi5-boss\/\">adviser<\/a> on digital security to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.luminance.com\/\">Luminance Technologies<\/a>, an artificial intelligence platform, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligenceonline.com\/corporate-intelligence\/2019\/11\/27\/cyber-investigator-blackdot-formats-its-team,108383699-bre\">chair<\/a> of the advisory board of <a href=\"https:\/\/blackdotsolutions.com\/\">Blackdot Solutions<\/a>, an internet intelligence company. Evans\u2019 remuneration in these roles is not known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2012, the year before he left MI5, Evans made his first public speech in two years in which he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-18586681\">claimed<\/a> there were \u201cindustrial-scale processes involving many thousands of people lying behind both state-sponsored cyber espionage and organised cyber crime\u201d. He added: \u201cVulnerabilities in the internet are being exploited aggressively not just by criminals but also by states,\u201d before concluding, \u201cThe extent of what is going on is astonishing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To the astonishment of even the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/article\/lord-evans-of-weardale-the-watchdog-on-conflicts-of-interest-has-six-otherjobs-fdn05qzhn\"><em>Times<\/em><\/a> newspaper, Jonathan Evans was in 2018 appointed to chair the government\u2019s Committee on Standards in Public Life. He had six other paid jobs at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In July 2015, Evans <a href=\"https:\/\/arkdatacentres.co.uk\/blog\/ark-announces-lord-evans-of-weardale-as-new-non-executive-director\/\">joined<\/a> the board of Ark Data Centres, a company which offers \u201chighly secure\u201d data storage centres in the UK. In that role, Evans replaced his predecessor at MI5, <strong>Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Manningham-Buller, who headed MI5 from 2002 to 2007, had in 2012 become a <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/officers\/qi2uG4hptrhSo4roPAuvMiNEXrM\/appointments\">director<\/a> of Ark, whose other staff <a href=\"https:\/\/arkdatacentres.co.uk\/about\/#management\">include<\/a> former UK military personnel and is <a href=\"https:\/\/arkdatacentres.co.uk\/locations\/\">based<\/a> in Corsham in Wiltshire, where the Ministry of Defence (MOD) runs the British government\u2019s new \u00a340-million Cyber Security Operations Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In March 2015, Ark won a \u00a3700-million outsourcing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theregister.co.uk\/2015\/03\/12\/ark_bags_700m_gov_data_centre_deal_sources\/\">deal<\/a> with the Cabinet Office to supply the government&#8217;s entire data centre estate. Two months later, Manningham-Buller <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/officers\/qi2uG4hptrhSo4roPAuvMiNEXrM\/appointments\">stepped down<\/a> from her position as a director of the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The year after she joined Ark, Manningham-Buller <a href=\"https:\/\/www.risk.net\/risk-management\/2269954\/cyber-threat-being-ignored-former-mi5-head-warns\">told<\/a> a conference that, \u201cIt seems to me that a lot of people don&#8217;t want to recognise the threat\u201d from possible cyber attacks. She added, \u201cThey want IT systems, they want connectivity, they want ease of access, they want business efficiency, and they choose quite often to ignore substantial threats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sir Stephen Lander<\/strong>, head of MI5 from 1996 to 2002, became director of two companies in 2004: <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/officers\/C2bEdtnxnUwLDmujIojXyuh1j_8\/appointments\">Streamshield Networks<\/a>, which produces cybersecurity products, and <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/officers\/Fcy__aMGuQkihuXuKyRl2NcHbQs\/appointments\">Northgate Information Solutions<\/a>, which develops IT software for police services and government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2389r4Fo-0A\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><em> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sir Jonathan Evans, head of MI5 from 2007-2013, gives his thoughts on the \u201ccyber threat landscape\u201d to Darktrace, a private cybersecurity company whose advisory board he joined in 2013, the same year he left service. Darktrace was valued at \u00a31.65bn in 2018. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MI6 likewise has seen its former heads make significant sums in private cyber-related companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sir John Sawers<\/strong>, head of MI6 from 2009 to 2014, created his own \u201cpolitical risk\u201d consultancy in 2018, <a href=\"https:\/\/newbridgeadvisory.com\/\">Newbridge Advisory<\/a>, to help businesses and investors \u201cunderstand\u201d the threat of \u201ccyber attacks, terrorism, political upheaval\u201d, among other areas. Sawers charges up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leadingauthorities.com\/uk\/speakers\/john-sawers\">$75,000<\/a> (\u00a365,000) to speak on \u201ccyber security\u201d. \u201cHe looks at the current cyber threats, the policy of cyber security, the likelihood of a wide scale attack, and what organisations can do to protect themselves,\u201d Sawers\u2019 agency website notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sawers\u2019 predecessor, <strong>Sir John Scarlett<\/strong> \u2013 who headed MI6 from 2004 to 2009 \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20100915070805\/http:\/chertoffgroup.com\/cgroup\/2010\/06\/chertoff-group-expands-board-of-advisors\/\">joined<\/a> the board of advisors at the Chertoff Group, a US-based corporation which \u201cdelivers security and cybersecurity risk management\u201d, soon after he left the service. General Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency and CIA, is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chertoffgroup.com\/team\/michael-hayden\">currently<\/a> a principal at the firm. Scarlett also charges up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leadingauthorities.com\/uk\/speakers\/john-scarlett\">$55,000<\/a> (\u00a348,000) to speak on \u201ccyber threats\u201d, specifically the question: \u201cHow vulnerable is our infrastructure to cyber attack and what should we do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sir Richard Dearlove<\/strong>, who served as head of MI6 from 1999 to 2004 \u2013 overseeing the intelligence controversies which led to the US\/UK invasion of Iraq in 2003\u2013 later became <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/officers\/5uaAllHhljJnEdOxD3_99BIcQwg\/appointments\">director<\/a> of Crossword Cybersecurity, a technology company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crosswordcybersecurity.com\/about\/\">focusing<\/a> exclusively on the cybersecurity sector. He serves in the firm alongside Lord Nick Houghton, former Chief of the Defence Staff of the UK military, who is on its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crosswordcybersecurity.com\/about\/team\/\">advisory board<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MI6 chiefs have all raised the spectre of the Russian cyber threat as they have taken jobs in the cyber security sector. In 2015, the year after he left MI6, Sawers publicly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-31496933\">flagged<\/a> the risk of Russian cyber attacks. Dearlove <a href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/news\/world\/1064819\/Russia-Putin-Ukraine-Novichok-Salisbury-MI6-Sky-Richard-Dearlove-Skripal\">said<\/a> in 2019 that \u201cIt&#8217;s deeply embedded in Russia&#8217;s DNA to use the capabilities that it has to disrupt our nations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, in 2018, Scarlett publicly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techworld.com\/security\/cia-mi6-dhs-ex-bosses-compare-cyber-threats-of-russia-china-3685790\/\">proclaimed<\/a> the \u201cnormal practice\u201d of Russian \u201cinterference\u201d in elections before the 2016 cyber attack on the Democratic National Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-621699\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/declassifiedUK-britmasters-inset-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-621699\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove\u2019s personal page on the website of Crossword Cybersecurity, where he was appointed a director in 2016.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The heads of GCHQ, the UK government\u2019s signal intelligence agency, have also found lucrative positions in the private cyber sector after leaving the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Robert Hannigan<\/strong> was GCHQ\u2019s director from 2014 to 2017, establishing the National Cyber Security Centre as part of GCHQ in 2016, while being <a href=\"https:\/\/rusi.org\/RobertHannigan\">responsible<\/a> for the UK&#8217;s first cyber strategy in 2009. Three months after he stepped down from GCHQ, in July 2017, Hannigan publicly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/technology-40557092\">warned<\/a> that &#8220;a disproportionate amount of mayhem in cyber-space&#8221; was coming from Russia, and called for \u201cpushback&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following month, Hannigan became <a href=\"https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/in\/robert-hannigan-a69b70163\">chair<\/a> of the European advisory board of BlueVoyant, a cybersecurity firm producing products to protect businesses against \u201csophisticated cyber attackers\u201d, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bluevoyant.com\/professional-services\">nation state<\/a> actors. In 2018, Hannigan became chair of BlueVoyant International.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hannigan also set up his own consultancy, <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/company\/11005271\">Tunny Associates<\/a>, about which little is known, although the Tunny was the name given by British spies to a Nazi cipher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/pictures\/breaking-the-nazis-enigma-codes-at-bletchley-park\/18\/\">machine<\/a> cracked by Bletchley Park, the UK\u2019s wartime code-breaking centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hannigan\u2019s predecessor, <strong>Sir Iain Lobban<\/strong>, who ran GCHQ from 2008 to 2014, has joined or advised no less than ten cyber or data security companies since leaving office, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hakluytcyber.com\/\">Hakluyt Cyber<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/officers\/SEQH-x5g9m4U7R2b6DQqkqfyd_c\/appointments\">Prevalent AI<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c5capital.com\/team\/\">C5 Capital<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c5capital.com\/team\/sir-iain-lobban\/\">biography<\/a> on the C5 website states that Lobban \u201cset new direction in cyber security for innovative partnerships internationally, with the private sector and with academia\u201d, adding, \u201cSir Iain now focuses on the advocacy and demystification of cyber security, providing strategic advice and personal perspective, nationally and internationally, to governments and businesses.\u201d The biography ends with the line, \u201cHe is also active in entrepreneurship, in the broadest sense of the word.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a 2011 article in the <em>Times<\/em>, Lobban <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/article\/strong-protection-is-vital-to-keep-a-force-for-good-j8mqtn2vh9j\">argued<\/a> that \u201cthe volume of e-crime and attacks on government and industry systems continues to be disturbing&#8221; and concluded that the \u201cUK\u2019s continued economic well-being\u201d was under threat from cyber attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-621700 size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/declassifiedUK-britmasters-inset-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-621700\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Biography of Sir Iain Lobban, who was director of GCHQ from 2008-2014, on the website of C5 Capital, an investment firm focused on cybersecurity, which he joined in 2015, the year he left GCHQ. He says he is \u2018active in entrepreneurship, in the broadest sense of the word\u2019.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Before Lobban, GCHQ\u2019s director was <strong>Sir David Pepper<\/strong>, who managed the agency from 2003 to 2008. After leaving GCHQ, Pepper joined the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/news\/new-chairman-of-the-dstl-board\">advisory board<\/a> of Thales, an arms and cyber security company, and became a <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20111014015012\/http:\/acoba.independent.gov.uk\/media\/20565\/acobaeleventhreport2009-2010.pdf\">strategic adviser<\/a> to Defence Strategy and Solutions, which helps arms firms secure government contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pepper\u2019s predecessor was <strong>Sir Francis Richards<\/strong> who directed GCHQ from 1998-2003. In 2007, Richards became chairman of the National Security Inspectorate, a certification body that approves security providers. Richards is the only head of MI5, MI6 or GCHQ since 1992 who does not appear to have personally benefited from working in the private cyber or energy sector after leaving office. (Former MI6 chief, <strong>Sir David Spedding<\/strong>, died two years after he retired in 1999.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richards\u2019 three immediate predecessors all joined cyber or data security companies. <strong>Sir Kevin Tebbitt<\/strong> and <strong>Sir David Omand<\/strong> became board members of Leonardo, the Italian weapons manufacturer that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leonardocompany.com\/en\/security-cyber\/cyber-digital-solutions\">specialises<\/a> in cybersecurity. Omand also joined the board of Babcock International, another arms company with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.babcockinternational.com\/what-we-do\/marine\/defence\/information-and-intelligence\/cyber-intelligence-and-security\/\">long line<\/a> in cybersecurity products, while <strong>Sir John Adye<\/strong>, GCHQ director from 1989-1996, joined the board of two companies \u2013 Identity Assurance Systems and Opera Limited \u2013 focused on data and cyber security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Earning from fossil fuel corporations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The three former heads of MI6 since 2000 have all taken jobs with energy companies after leaving office \u2013 despite climate change being recognised as a major threat to the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sir Richard Dearlove<\/strong> has been on the <a href=\"http:\/\/investors.kosmosenergy.com\/board-member\/sir-richard-dearlove\">board<\/a> of Kosmos Energy \u2013 an oil and gas exploration company based in Texas \u2013 since <a href=\"http:\/\/investors.kosmosenergy.com\/static-files\/af503207-eec9-4d7e-869b-4cf9c2123099\">2012<\/a>, where he also <a href=\"http:\/\/investors.kosmosenergy.com\/board-member\/sir-richard-dearlove\">sits<\/a> on the compensation committee. In the seven years from 2013 to 2019, Dearlove earned more than $2.5-million (\u00a32-million) in fees from the company, having attended an average of 12 meetings a year. In 2018, Dearlove was Kosmos\u2019 best compensated director. US filings <a href=\"https:\/\/kosmosenergyllc.gcs-web.com\/static-files\/d113bac9-28ff-4ab5-9a92-cf6edb3c0a03\">show<\/a> that on appointment Dearlove was also awarded restricted shares worth $140,000 (\u00a3113,400).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dearlove has also been an adviser to a variety of consultancies that give advice on <a href=\"https:\/\/ergo.net\/experience\">energy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.deloitte.com\/global\/en\/pages\/strategy-operations\/monitor-deloitte\/topic\/monitor-deloitte.html\">extractives<\/a>, while he charges up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.krugercowne.com\/sir-richard-dearlove\/\">\u00a320,000<\/a> as a speaking fee where \u201cthe invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan\u201d are touted as conversation topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dearlove made widely-covered public interventions during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2017\/06\/07\/jeremy-corbyn-danger-nation-mi6-led-wouldnt-clear-security-vetting\/\">2017<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2019\/11\/24\/former-mi6-chief-calls-jeremy-corbyn-danger-national-security\/\">2019 <\/a>UK election campaigns warning that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was a \u201cdanger\u201d and \u201cthreat\u201d to Britain\u2019s national security. Labour\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/labour.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/labour-manifesto-2017.pdf\">manifesto<\/a> in 2017 promised \u201cstrict standards of transparency for crown dependencies and overseas territories, including a public register of owners, directors, major shareholders and beneficial owners for all companies and trusts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kosmos Energy was until 2018 registered in the British overseas territory and tax haven of Bermuda. Since 2006, Dearlove has also been the non-executive chairman of <a href=\"https:\/\/ascotgroup.com\/leadership\/ascot-group\/group-board\">Ascot Group<\/a> \u2013 an insurance business <a href=\"https:\/\/ascotgroup.com\/about-us\">domiciled<\/a> in Bermuda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" title=\"Dear Love Scroll\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/embeds\/460157127\/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-wfiVLuZKh3kRJytSFrVI\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-auto-height=\"true\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7068965517241379\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The director compensation records from Kosmos Energy\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an oil and gas exploration company based in Texas\u2014from 2012-2019. Sir Richard Dearlove, head of MI6 from 1999-2004, joined the company\u2019s board in late 2012 and has earned more than \u00a32-million in the role up to last year.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2011, <strong>Sir John Scarlett<\/strong> became <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axa-im.com\/sir-john-scarlett\">chair<\/a> of the Strategy Advisory Committee at Norwegian oil giant, Statoil (now named Equinor). Scarlett\u2019s name does not appear in the company\u2019s annual reports or on its website and it is not known how much he has been paid in this role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are also two consultancies \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/company\/08248586\">SC Strategy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/company\/07136149\">J&amp;G Consulting<\/a> \u2013 which Scarlett has started whose operations and clients are so secretive it is impossible to know if they involve cybersecurity or energy. It has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2015\/nov\/03\/former-reviewer-of-anti-terror-laws-co-owns-consultancy-with-ex-mi6-chief\">reported<\/a> he earned \u00a3400,000 over three years from one of these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sir John Sawers<\/strong> was <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/officers\/nkrrdybmcqaCGlTQ1FBQ8ZX9ZqE\/appointments\">appointed<\/a> a director of oil company BP in 2015, the year after he left MI6. \u201cHis management of reform at MI6\u201d, BP <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2015.pdf\">wrote<\/a> in its 2015 annual report, \u201ccomplements BP\u2019s focus on value and simplification.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It appears that upon appointment, Sawers was awarded restricted shares worth over \u00a390,000. <em>Declassified<\/em> can also reveal that in the four and a half years to 2019, Sawers earned \u00a3699,000 in fees and benefits from BP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBP will benefit from his extensive experience of the Middle East\u2019s hotspots while a career diplomat, and his influential roles in formulating foreign policy,\u201d wrote the <em>Financial Times<\/em>. Sawers was a foreign policy adviser to prime minister Tony Blair and was appointed Britain\u2019s special representative to Iraq in 2003. BP returned to Iraq in 2009 after a 35-year absence. The BP annual reports refer often to Sawers\u2019 experience in the Middle East as a particular boon for the company and note that he has been at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bp.com\/content\/dam\/bp\/business-sites\/en\/global\/corporate\/pdfs\/investors\/bp-annual-report-and-form-20f-2017.pdf\">meetings<\/a> which discuss \u201cdevelopments in the Middle East\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In February 2015, Sawers also became a director of Macro Advisory Partners, a consultancy whose <a href=\"https:\/\/www.macroadvisorypartners.com\/concept\">clients<\/a> include the world&#8217;s leading energy institutions. Michael Daly, BP\u2019s former global exploration chief, was also <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/company\/OC385173\/officers\">added<\/a> to the board four months before Sawers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The true extent of security services personnel profiting after service is unclear as the names of nearly all intelligence personnel are highly classified. But it has been revealed that former MI6 head of counterterrorism, Sir Mark Allen, also joined BP after leaving service, helping the company to negotiate a \u00a315-billion oil drilling contract with Muammar Gaddafi, the then Libyan dictator. Allen had developed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.middleeasteye.net\/news\/mark-allen-spy-who-wrote-too-much\">relationship<\/a> with the Gaddafi regime while in MI6 and was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2017\/feb\/19\/mi6-mark-allen-review-role-gaddafi-libya-abdel-hakim-behaj\">investigated<\/a> for his role in the snatching and transfer of a Libyan couple to the north African country in 2004.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chiefs of MI5 and GCHQ have also gained from oil and gas companies. Former GCHQ director <strong>Sir Iain Lobban<\/strong> became an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2015\/nov\/05\/former-head-gchq-sir-iain-lobban-adviser-shell-hakluyt\">advisor<\/a> to Shell. <strong>Dame Stella Rimington<\/strong>, who was director-general of MI5 from 1992 to 1996, joined the board of BG Group \u2013 the oil and gas multinational \u2013 in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sec.gov\/Archives\/edgar\/data\/805260\/000102123105000218\/b786335-6k.htm\">1997<\/a>, the year after she left service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She stepped down from the board in 2005 when the company was bought by Shell for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2015\/apr\/08\/shell-bg-group-47bn-takeover-oil-industry\">\u00a347-billion<\/a>. Rimington was a company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sec.gov\/Archives\/edgar\/data\/805260\/000102123103000353\/b701349.htm\">shareholder<\/a> as well as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sec.gov\/Archives\/edgar\/data\/805260\/000102123106000163\/b822635ex15-2.htm\">earning<\/a> \u00a357,500 in fees from BG Group in 2004, her last full year on the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter wp-image-621701 size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/declassifiedUK-britmasters-inset-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-621701\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Profile of Sir John Sawers, head of MI6 from 2009-2014, on the website of oil giant BP, which he joined as a non-executive director in 2015, the year after he left service. In the following four-and-half years he earnt \u00a3699,000 in fees for this role on the board.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-adjusting-the-dials\"><strong>Adjusting the dials?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the UK spends significant sums on its \u201csecurity services\u201d, there is no evidence that any of the British intelligence agencies has significantly prepared for health pandemics or have substantial expertise to work on the issue, as <em>Declassified UK<\/em> has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymaverick.co.za\/article\/2020-03-24-british-security-services-have-ignored-global-health-pandemics-the-uks-biggest-threat\/\">revealed<\/a>. Recent heads of MI5 and MI6 were promoted after working in counter terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The incoming head of MI5, <strong>Ken McCallum<\/strong>, has worked for the intelligence service for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/uk\/home-news\/ken-mccallum-mi5-boss-head-sergei-skripal-london-olympics-2012-a9436206.html\">25 years<\/a>, but appears to specialise in cyber security and to have no health or climate expertise. At one point, he appears to have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawgazette.co.uk\/practice\/how-to-be-cyber-secure\/5037247.article\">seconded<\/a> to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and became the department\u2019s cyber security head. McCallum is also <a href=\"https:\/\/tech.newstatesman.com\/security\/mi5-director-uk-tech-sector-ai-expertise\">said<\/a> to have headed MI5\u2019s cyber activities around a decade ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sources have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2020\/mar\/30\/new-mi5-head-ken-mccallum-promises-focus-on-china-harness-ai\">said<\/a> McCallum wants to \u201cwork more closely with the private sector in harnessing artificial intelligence\u201d and \u201cto be clearer about the threat posed by China \u2013 particularly in terms of industrial espionage and cyberwarfare\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MI5 states that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mi5.gov.uk\/cyber\">\u201ccyber\u201d<\/a> threat is one of its four main focus areas, but it does not mention health security issues despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mi5.gov.uk\/what-we-do\">claiming<\/a> to be guided by the UK\u2019s national security strategy which highlights an \u201cinfluenza pandemic\u201d as a tier one threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In contrast to the UK, the CIA has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/health\/health-news\/spying-coronavirus-little-known-u-s-intel-outfit-has-its-n1157296\">dedicated unit<\/a> for health issues, while the US Defense Intelligence Agency has a National Center for Medical Intelligence which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/late-us-intelligence-community-alerts-slow-pentagon-response-contributed-us-militarys-1497620\">undertakes<\/a> \u201ccollection, evaluation, and all-source analysis of worldwide health threats and issues\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The outgoing head of MI5, Andrew Parker, has recently intimated that the government needs to recalibrate its security priorities. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/technology-52349090\">said<\/a> earlier this month: &#8220;There is no doubt at all that, having lived through the worst pandemic in a century, the government is bound to think differently about how to configure against that risk and adjust the dials accordingly across public spending, I&#8217;m sure. But all of those decisions are yet to be taken.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Parker, some doctors and nurses who usually work at MI5 have been released back to the NHS so they can serve on the frontline, while MI5 has also been providing protective security to the design and construction of the new temporary care \u2018Nightingale\u2019 hospitals, but which have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/apr\/21\/nurse-shortage-causes-nightingale-hospital-to-turn-away-patients\">revealed<\/a> to be so badly staffed they have turned away patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GCHQ has made several public <a href=\"https:\/\/news.sky.com\/story\/coronavirus-uk-intelligence-agency-issues-public-warning-about-criminals-exploiting-outbreak-11958113\">interventions<\/a> since the coronavirus crisis began \u2013 all on the cyber threat posed by the pandemic, such as warning that criminals are using the coronavirus outbreak to launch online attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-621702\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.declassifieduk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/declassifiedUK-britmasters-inset-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-621702\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ken McCallum, the new head of MI5, gives evidence to the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee on &#8220;cyber threats&#8221; in March 2013. At the time, he appears to have been seconded to the Department for Business, Innovation &amp; Skills where he was head of cybersecurity. It has been reported he also headed cyber operations at MI5 around a decade ago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-britain-s-cyber-industry\"><strong>Britain\u2019s cyber industry<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A recent government <a href=\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/861945\/UK_Cyber_Sectoral_Analysis__2020__Report.pdf\">report<\/a> states that the UK cyber security sector is worth \u00a38.3-billion and includes over 1,200 companies, a number which has increased by 44% from 2017 to 2019. This growth is the equivalent to a new cyber security business setting up in the UK every week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The government is allocating large amounts of money to cyber security. In 2016, it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/national-cyber-security-strategy-2016-to-2021\">announced<\/a> a National Cyber Security Strategy involving spending of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S1353485816301003\">\u00a31.9-billion<\/a>. A further \u00a3250-million is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.co.uk\/edition\/news\/britain-launches-250m-cyber-force-to-wage-war-on-terrorists-wnq9q506c?wgu=270525_54264_15874601673594_35cf84cfe5&amp;wgexpiry=1595236167&amp;utm_source=planit&amp;utm_medium=affiliate&amp;utm_content=22278\">expected<\/a> to be spent on a new joint MOD-GCHQ cyber force to combat \u201cthe rising cyber threat from nations such as Russia and Iran, as well as terrorist groups like ISIS\u201d. With 2,000 personnel, it will have experts from the military, security services, and the cyber security industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The government has also allocated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk\/news\/cheltenham-news\/huge-cash-injection-brings-cheltenhams-2150865\">\u00a323-million<\/a> to building a \u201ccyber business park\u201d near GCHQ\u2019s headquarters in Cheltenham, southwest England, and established a \u00a3135-million <a href=\"https:\/\/www.british-business-bank.co.uk\/national-security-strategic-investment-fund\/\">National Security Strategic Investment Fund<\/a> so that British intelligence agencies can nurture start-ups developing technology seen as supporting the country\u2019s national security priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alex Chalk, the Conservative MP for Cheltenham, has been a big supporter of the UK government\u2019s cyber strategy in his constituency. \u201cThe thing that struck me was that we had an asset in GCHQ, which was absorbing a growing amount of public money, billions of pounds, and yet its impact&#8230; was quite limited,\u201d he told <em>Declassified<\/em>. \u201cI read around the subject and saw what the Israelis had done in a place called Beersheba in Israel, where they&#8217;ve got their equivalent of GCHQ\u201d. In 2014, the Israeli government passed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.il\/he\/departments\/general\/the_capital_of_beer_sheva\">resolution<\/a> designating the city of Beersheba the country\u2019s cyber capital, and it is now <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2016\/03\/20\/israels-desert-city-of-beersheba-is-turning-into-a-cybertech-oasis\/\">referred<\/a> to as a \u201ccybertech oasis\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is not just intelligence agency chiefs who have moved into the lucrative world of cyber technology. The most successful British cybersecurity firm is Darktrace, which works on artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity and was <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.companieshouse.gov.uk\/company\/08562035\">incorporated<\/a> four days after the first of the revelations by US whistleblower Edward Snowden was<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2013\/jun\/06\/nsa-phone-records-verizon-court-order\"> published<\/a> by <em>The Guardian<\/em> in June 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Darktrace has been valued at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/technology\/2020\/04\/12\/darktrace-revenues-top-100m-ahead-coronavirus\/\">\u00a31.65bn<\/a>. Company material openly<a href=\"https:\/\/www.darktrace.com\/en\/press\/2014\/27\/\"> mentions<\/a> \u201cthe UK intelligence officials who founded Darktrace\u201d. Among its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.darktrace.com\/en\/press\/2015\/34\/\">team<\/a> are \u201csenior members of the UK\u2019s and US\u2019s intelligence agencies including the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the Security Service (MI5) and the NSA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/f80a931e-39d7-11e8-8eee-e06bde01c544\"> co-founder<\/a> was Stephen Huxter, a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/business\/news\/gchq-defence-chief-to-head-cyber-security-start-up-darktrace-9098180.html\"> senior figure<\/a> in MI5\u2019s \u201ccyber defence team\u201d who became Darktrace\u2019s managing director. Huxter then<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/business\/news\/gchq-defence-chief-to-head-cyber-security-start-up-darktrace-9098180.html\"> hired<\/a> 30-year GCHQ veteran Andrew France as the company\u2019s chief executive. France, like Huxter, had been involved in dealing with \u201ccyber threats\u201d, rising to the position of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.darktrace.com\/en\/press\/2014\/8\/\"> deputy director<\/a> of cyber defence operations at GCHQ, where he was<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/business\/news\/gchq-defence-chief-to-head-cyber-security-start-up-darktrace-9098180.html\"> charged with<\/a> \u201cprotecting government data\u201d from cyber threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Darktrace later appointed Dave Palmer, who had<a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/technology\/2018\/09\/26\/cybersecurity-start-up-darktrace-raises-50-million\/\"> worked<\/a> at MI5 and GCHQ, as its director of technology, while John Richardson OBE, its director of security, had a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.darktrace.com\/en\/subject-matter-experts\/\"> long career<\/a> in \u201cUK government security and intelligence\u201d working on \u201ccyber defence\u201d. Darktrace staff have also<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/business-43879931\"> included<\/a> ex-MI6 officials. Poppy Gustafsson, co-founder, has<a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2016\/12\/05\/darktrace-2\/\"> said<\/a> that her work left her feeling like she was \u201cliving in a story by the novelist John le Carr\u00e9\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Declassified<\/em> contacted Sir Richard Dearlove and Sir John Sawers for comment, but neither responded. Sir Iain Lobban declined to comment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-white-color has-text-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/declassifieduk.enthuse.com\/supportDCUK#!\/\" style=\"border-radius:0px;background-color:#c65115\"><strong>PLEASE SUPPORT US WITH AS LITTLE AS \u00a32 A YEAR<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<!-- Begin Constant Contact Inline Form Code -->\n<div class=\"ctct-inline-form\" data-form-id=\"7e8d5f92-6c02-49ff-a87b-67d65846f98e\"><\/div>\n<!-- End Constant Contact Inline Form Code -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is money and power in identifying Russia and cyber attacks as the key security threats facing Britain \u2014 but not in addressing the more important issues of pandemics and climate change. Former UK intelligence chiefs are personally profiting from the \u2018revolving door\u2019 between government and business, and the public is paying the price.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":2053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,5],"tags":[99,130,132,33,75],"coauthors":[185,183],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.4 (Yoast SEO v22.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Revealed: How Britain\u2019s profiteering spymasters ignored the country\u2019s biggest threats like coronavirus\u2014and endangered the public<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There is money and power in identifying Russia and cyber attacks as the key security threats facing Britain \u2014 but not in addressing the more important issues of pandemics and climate change. 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