Out with old and in with the new. MI6 boss Sir Richard Moore is packing in the clandestine activities for a less secret but perhaps more diplomatic life – hopefully not following too closely in Lord Scandelson’s footsteps. After five years in the role, Moore is stepping aside for Blaise Metreweli – or ‘C’, as all her predecessors have been known since 1909 – who will be the first female in the role in the 116 years of the Secret Intelligence Service.
But while his career may have been top secret, Moore wasn’t going to leave on a dull note. First he gave a farewell speech in Istanbul last month – in which he paid tribute to his family connection to Turkey, expressed his belief that MI6 must be ‘more open to stay secret’ and publicly berated Vladimir Putin. Punchy!
But Mr S has heard more colourful stories about Moore’s leaving celebrations. The MI6 chief was not shy about showing off his roster of celeb contacts – playing videos of farewell messages at his leaving do from esteemed actress – or ‘M’ – Judi Dench and even former Tory PM Boris Johnson. Whether he will retain A-lister assets in his retirement from the agency is quite another matter – but as one of his friends famously conceded, them’s the breaks…
Steerpike contacted the Foreign Office for further details of the whole affair but, as expected, they wouldn’t provide the bona fides. For their eyes only, eh?
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