Beyond Bond: MI6 chief is on a mission to kill posh image, as he seeks black and Asian officers

MI6 is to return to the old-school method of “tapping up” recruits as part of a concerted effort to draw in a new cadre of black and Asian officers and finally dispel the image of British spies as “James Bond” types whose ranks are the preserve of a posh elite.

The initiative has come directly from the agency’s chief, Alex Younger, who said MI6, known officially as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), needed to reach out to communities that were “selecting themselves out” of a potential career in the world of secret intelligence gathering.

In his first interview with a national newspaper, Younger told the Guardian the current expansion of SIS was needed because “the demands on our services, our capabilities are on the up”, with more threats than ever before coming from terrorist groups and hostile states.

But he said the service would be better for having a more diverse workforce and that old recruitment techniques, such as “the tap on the shoulder”, were required to bring in a full spectrum of talent.

The agency says it still gets too many applications from people who think a familiarity with James Bond and the ability to shoot will help secure them a job.

Younger, who is known as C, also conceded that during his career MI6 had “suffered from groupthink”, which needed to be challenged, and he wanted people to have the confidence to stand up to him if they did not agree.