Sir John Sawers said MI6 staff would have “nothing whatsoever” to do with torture
The head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, has described torture as “illegal and abhorrent” and defended the service’s need for secrecy.
He said his organisation faced “real, constant operational dilemmas” to avoid using intelligence which had been gathered by torture.
He also said secrecy was “not a dirty word” and played “a crucial part in keeping Britain safe and secure”.
He is the first serving MI6 chief to make a public speech in its 100 years.
Known in Whitehall as C, the 55-year-old was speaking at a meeting of the Society of Editors in London.
He said: “Torture is illegal and abhorrent under any circumstances and we have nothing whatsoever to do with it.
“If we know or believe action by us will lead to torture taking place, we’re required by UK and international law to avoid that action, and we do, even though that allows that terrorist activity to go ahead.
“Some may question this. But we are clear that it’s the right thing to do. It makes us strive even harder to find different ways, consistent with human rights, to get the outcome we want.
“Suppose we received credible intelligence that might save lives, here or abroad. We have a professional and moral duty to act on it. We will normally want to share it with those who can save those lives,” he said.
Innocent lives
“We also have a duty to do what we can to ensure that a partner service will respect human rights. That is not always straightforward.
“Yet if we hold back, and don’t pass that intelligence, out of concern that a suspect terrorist may be badly treated, innocent lives may be lost that we could have saved.
“These are not abstract questions just for philosophy courses or searching editorials, they are real, constant operational dilemmas. Sometimes there is no clear way forward. The more finely-balanced judgment have to be made by ministers themselves.”
“It’s an enormous tribute to the men and women of our intelligence and security agencies and to our cooperation to our partners services around the world, that so few of these appalling plots develop into real terrorist attacks”
Sir John Sawers
It was essential for MI6 agents and other intelligence agencies to be sure that their secrets were protected, in order to succeed in countering any terror threat, he added, saying his organisation was the “secret front line” protecting Britain.
“Secrecy is not a dirty word. Secrecy is not there as a cover-up. Secrecy plays a crucial part in keeping Britain safe and secure.
“Secret organisations need to stay secret, even if we present an occasional public face, as I am doing today. If our operations and methods become public, they won’t work. Agents take risks.
“They will not work with SIS [Secret Intelligence Service], will not pass us the secrets they hold, unless they can trust us not to expose them. Our foreign partners need to have certainty that what they tell us will remain secret, not just most of the time, but always.”
He also said there was “no single reason for the terrorist phenomenon”.
He added: “Some blame political issues like Palestine or Kashmir or Iraq. Others cite economic disadvantage, distortions of the Islamic faith, male supremacy, the lack of normal checks and balances in some countries. There are many theories.
“I’ve worked a lot in the Islamic world. I agree with those who say we need to be steady and stand by our friends. Over time, moving to a more open system of government in these countries, one more responsive to people’s grievances, will help.
“But if we demand an abrupt move to the pluralism that we in the West enjoy, we may undermine the controls that are now in place. And terrorists will end up with new opportunities.”
Sir John also said that the “most draining aspect” of his job was reading daily intelligence reports describing the plotting of terrorists “bent on maiming and murdering people in this country”.
He added: “It’s an enormous tribute to the men and women of our intelligence and security agencies and to our cooperation to our partners services around the world, that so few of these appalling plots develop into real terrorist attacks.”
Before being appointed head of MI6, Sir John was the UK’s permanent representative to the UN. Before that he was political director at the Foreign Office, an envoy in Baghdad and a foreign affairs adviser to former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
He has also worked in the British embassy in Washington, as an ambassador in Cairo and to South Africa from 1988 and 1991 when apartheid was ending.
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