MI5 under scrutiny after report finds 'serious failings' led to courts being given false evidence

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Shabana Mahmood made the comments after the Investigatory Powers Commissioner published a report on Thursday identifying “systemic failures” in the security service’s handling of the so-called Agent X case.

It follows MI5’s apology earlier this year and its settlement of a legal claim brought by a woman known as Beth over her treatment by an allegedly abusive former partner.

The BBC first reported that Agent X used his status to coercively control his girlfriend, including attacking her with a machete, before moving abroad to continue intelligence work while still under investigation.

MI5 agreed to pay an undisclosed sum in compensation after the woman brought a case to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) over the agent, who is also accused of being a neo-Nazi.

A secret inquiry by the watchdog found the security service knew the agent was a misogynist “obsessed” with violence, but still defended him in court.

The IPT, which investigates allegations against the UK intelligence services, said in July last year that MI5’s false evidence “gives rise to real cause for concern” and “must never happen again”.

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Ms Mahmood said: “The findings of this report are stark.

“It details serious failings by individual MI5 officers, resulting in false evidence being provided to the courts, and criticism of MI5 as an organisation.

“I am taking urgent action to hold MI5 to account for these failures, including strengthening my oversight and assurance of their work.”

She said the security service plays a “critical role in keeping our country safe and we owe a debt of thanks to its staff” and that it has made “significant progress over the last year in learning from these failures”, but there is “more to do to ensure the highest standards of integrity and accountability are upheld”.

Beth said: “Our authorities should have zero tolerance for male violence against women.

“It is always unacceptable, and all the more so when it is actually enabled by those in positions of power. What today’s report suggests to me once again is that institutions like MI5 always protect their own.”

Kate Ellis, joint head of litigation at Centre for Women’s Justice, who acted for Beth, said: “The findings of this investigation could not be clearer: MI5 has lied to the courts in legal proceedings against Beth and the BBC. This was not just, as previous investigations have claimed, an unfortunate error.

“Today’s damning report comes just days after the BBC published material from Beth’s legal proceedings, which confirmed that MI5 did not address the serious risks that Agent X posed to Beth and other women.

“The way this case has played out has raised important questions about the accountability of our Security Services – to the courts and indeed the public – and whether there are mechanisms in place to safeguard women from violence perpetrated by state agents.”

MI5 director general Sir Ken McCallum apologised for providing “incorrect evidence” to the courts and for his agency’s “slowness in recognising what had happened”.

The spy chief said in a statement: “MI5 recognises without hesitation the seriousness of our failings in these proceedings.

“I repeat my previous apologies to both courts for the incorrect evidence that was provided, and for our slowness in recognising what had happened.

"I also repeat my apology to Beth, who suffered additional distress as a consequence of what MI5 got wrong in the course of responding to her serious claims."

The director general added that work had been done over the last 18 months "to improve our policies and processes" and "ensure we never find ourselves in this position again".