Dear Jeremy… We need to invest in the spies – don’t take our safety for granted

Only Jeremy Corbyn could get himself into such an illogical position when it comes to protecting our national security.

Last November the Government announced its intention to recruit and train over 1,900 extra staff for the intelligence and security agencies to deal with growing global threats, such as terrorism and cyber warfare. The BBC revealed last week that MI6, our foreign-facing intelligence agency, is in line to receive the bulk of these new staff.

When asked by Andrew Marr whether he supported the increase in resources for MI6, the Labour leader responded that he didn’t think it was “particularly necessary” and that he was “unclear as to why they want to be so much bigger”. This in the week it came to light that Russian hackers posed an imminent threat to Government departments and broadcasters in the run-up to last year’s general election. Not to mention the continuing “highly likely” threat of terrorist attacks on our country and our way of life.

The MI6 chief, Alex Younger, gave a rare insight into the simultaneous “existential threat and golden opportunity” facing the agencies in the digital age just last week. An increasingly connected society brings with it expanding sets of tools open to our adversaries, both state and non-state actors, to use, and potentially more weaknesses to be exploited.

Let’s take our future James and Jane Bonds, for example. When human intelligence is, and always will be, an important element of intelligence gathering, so exists the need to protect our operatives and cover the undoubtedly increasing number of digital tracks of their past that could be used to identify them.

That said, let’s hope our intelligence agencies get the extra personnel and expertise they have been promised – because should the Government fail to deliver, the Labour leader, with his careless remarks, has thrown away any credibility to hold them to account on it.

The irony arises after Corbyn last week Corbyn discussed appointing a Minister for Peace as part of his aim of putting peace and justice at the heart of foreign policy. Surely identifying and disrupting threats at source, which is exactly what our intelligence agencies do, would be central to keeping the peace? Coincidentally, Theresa May announced at the UN recently that the intelligence agencies would be at the heart of a newly formed taskforce tackling modern slavery.

We’re all probably guilty of taking the work of our security and intelligence services for granted. It’s perhaps a comforting product of the successful, first-class work that they do.

But safeguarding the security of the country is a fundamental responsibility of Her Majesty’s Government, which cannot take it for granted. Labour’s offering as an alternative Prime Minister does not have the luxury of taking our security for granted – nor do those around him who would at the heart of government.

So though he may be “unclear” why the intelligence agencies need more resources, he’d better wise up fast. Last year a poll found that almost three quarters of the British public did not trust Jeremy Corbyn on national security. We need to get serious – Labour cannot afford anymore slip-ups by its leader on this. The country just won’t risk it.