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Agence France-Presse

The UK government has appointed Blaise Metreweli as the first-ever woman to head its MI6 spy service as the country faces “threats on an unprecedented scale”, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Sunday.
The MI6 Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) achieved global fame through Ian Fleming’s fictional agent James Bond.
Metreweli will be the 18th head of the service, Starmer’s Downing Street office said in a statement.
“The historic appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital,” Starmer said.

“The United Kingdom is facing threats on an unprecedented scale – be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber plots seek to disrupt our public services,” he added.
The MI6 chief is the only publicly named member of the organisation and reports directly to the foreign minister.
The person in the post is referred to as “C” – not “M” as in the James Bond franchise, which already had a woman, played by Judi Dench, in the role.
Metreweli will take over from outgoing MI6 head Richard Moore in the autumn.
Metreweli said: “I am proud and honoured to be asked to lead my service.
“MI6 plays a vital role, with MI5 and GCHQ, in keeping the British people safe and promoting UK interests overseas.
“I look forward to continuing that work alongside the brave officers and agents of MI6 and our many international partners.”
Currently, she is MI6’s director general – known as “Q” – with responsibility for technology and innovation at the service, the statement said.
She is described as a career intelligence officer who joined the service in 1999, having studied anthropology at Cambridge University.
Metreweli held senior roles at both MI6 and the MI5 domestic intelligence service and spent most of her career in “operational roles in the Middle East and Europe”, the statement added, without giving further biographical details.
The appointment comes over three decades after MI5 appointed its first female chief.
Stella Rimington held the position from 1992 to 1996, followed by Eliza Manningham-Buller from 2002 to 2007.
The UK intelligence and security organisation GCHQ appointed its first woman chief, Anne Keast-Butler, in 2023.
Additional reporting by dpa


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UK appoints first woman to head MI6 spy service

The headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, in London. File photo: AP

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News

World

Europe

Career intelligence officer Blaise Metreweli chosen as next MI6 chief, an appointment the UK prime minister called historic


Career intelligence officer Blaise Metreweli chosen as next MI6 chief, an appointment the UK prime minister called historic.


Espionage

Keir Starmer

Gender

Women and gender

UK appoints first woman to head MI6 spy service

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Career intelligence officer Blaise Metreweli chosen as next MI6 chief, an appointment the UK prime minister called historic

Career intelligence officer Blaise Metreweli chosen as next MI6 chief, an appointment the UK prime minister called historic