Britain’s intelligence agencies risk losing a key talent pool of spies as they grapple with budget cuts and increasing threats to the UK from hostile states, The i Paper has been told.
It comes after the Government announced a 14 per cent funding cut for intelligence agencies, including MI5, MI6 and the UK’s communications agency, GCHQ.
“Very significant” individuals are leaving UK intelligence, they said, adding: “It’s not just a freeze on promotions. As a result of spending cuts, operations have been halted.
Intelligence staff at MI5 were told about the promotions freeze shortly after the cuts were announced in the spring Budget, according to two intelligence sources who spoke to The i Paper.
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One of the sources left MI5 last year for a private sector role with substantially increased pay. They said they had previously passed up lucrative jobs, but hearing about the freeze after working “so hard to get in” was a “shitty deal”.
A starting salary at MI5 is around £39,000 a year, with a promised increase to £42,000 after one year of service. But officials working their way through the ranks, seeking higher salaries, are believed to be frustrated with the lack of career progression.
He added that competition from the private sector where work-life balance, pay and career development is more attractive is now accelerating.
“The inevitable outcome of this freeze is that MI5 will lose its pipeline of talent and a pool of future experienced officers.”
Spies quitting while MI5 faces new pressures
Britain’s spy agencies are under increasing pressure to protect national security as the threat from hostile states and home-grown sabotage attacks increases, reaching Cold War-era levels.
Earlier this year, the Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, said the number of state-threat investigations run by MI5 last year rose by 48 per cent. “That statistic is a stark indication of the increased threat,” he said.
The i Paper previously revealed that security vetting delays were damaging the ability of intelligence services to recruit staff, resulting in an “over-reliance” on private contractors who have had less rigorous screenings.
Such roles help build capabilities in Government departments, which helps release pressure and reliance on UK intelligence.
The Government refused to comment on issues of national security.
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