The head of MI5, Andrew Parker, today appealed for Brexit not to derail security collaboration
The head of MI5 has stated that threats from Russian “thuggery” and Islamist terrorists mean that European intelligence co-operation is more vital than ever. He said that while Russia was working to “sow doubt through western societies”, the Islamic State had lost its “false caliphate” but was seeking to regroup.
Adressing an audience in Berlin, Parker said that Russia was on the road to pariah status due to its cyberattacks, disinformation programme and “malign activity” on British soil. He added that 12 Islamist terror plots had been thwarted in the UK alone since the Westminster attack in March last year.
Hear Mr Parker:
“The UK is of course leaving the EU and our relationship with the EU must change as a result but as our government has said many times we are not leaving Europe.
“Today standing in Berlin, reflecting on the acute shared security threats we face, it is of course our vital European partnerships that are at the front of my mind … bilaterally, multilaterally and working with EU institutions. In today’s uncertain world we all need that more than ever.
“This highly developed national security collaboration largely takes place outside EU structures and does not depend on membership, so at the primary level Brexit makes not difference to the strength of those partnerships.
“But that is not the whole story. National level and multilateral security work between European nations draws strength from a range of important EU systems and arrangements.”
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