The Newshound

MI5 and chief Ken McCallum are spared contempt proceedings despite admitting the agency gave courts false evidence about a neo-Nazi agent

Sir Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, whose agency's trust with courts "now needs to be re-earned" after judges declined to pursue contempt proceedings.
Sir Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, whose agency's trust with courts "now needs to be re-earned" after judges declined to pursue contempt proceedings.

The High Court ruled it would not be "in the public interest" to pursue contempt proceedings, despite MI5 admitting its officers gave incorrect information to three separate courts over three years. The false evidence was used to win a 2022 injunction blocking the BBC from naming Agent X, a right-wing extremist who threatened his girlfriend, known as Beth, with a machete.

Sir Ken McCallum accepted the ruling 'underlines MI5's serious failures' and said the agency's trust with courts 'now needs to be re-earned'.

A July report by the Deputy Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir John Goldring, found 'serious and systemic failings' and identified one officer, known as Officer 2, as having lied about his role.

Beth's lawyers had argued there were 'repeated efforts to prevent the truth emerging' — the High Court's three judges declined to act, citing the complexity of managing such proceedings.

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