Miliband laughs off MI6 Facebook row
Foreign Secretary David Miliband has defended the next head of MI6 after details of his personal life were posted on social networking website Facebook.
Pictures and private details of Sir John Sawers, who will take on the post in November, were revealed on an easily accessible profile page of his wife, Lady Shelley Sawers.
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Sawers back at Beechen Cliff
The page was taken down after the Mail on Sunday informed the Foreign Office. The Liberal Democrats called for an inquiry into the matter, while senior Tory MP Patrick Mercer said Sir John had left himself open to blackmail.
But Mr Miliband denied that national security had been compromised, saying it was “no state secret” that the MI6 chief, who grew up in Bath, wore Speedos on holiday.
And shadow business secretary Ken Clarke said the UK’s enemies “did not wholly rely on the Mail on Sunday and Facebook for their information”.
Former prime minister Sir John Major also described the issue as “overblown”.
Lady Sawers disclosed details including the location of the London flat used by the couple and the whereabouts of their three children and of Sir John’s parents.
She put no privacy protection on her account, allowing any of Facebook’s 200 million users in the open-access “London” network to see the entries.
The onetime City of Bath Boys School pupil will take up his job in early November, replacing Sir John Scarlett who has spent more than five years in the post.
Sir John, 53, was a student at what is now Beechen Cliff School from 1966 to 1973 and was brought up in the Combe Park area of Bath and also attended Newbridge Junior School.
Mr Miliband told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show: “It is not a state secret that he wears Speedo swimming trunks, for goodness sake let’s grow up.
“This allegation that there’s great secrets and then you find out it’s about his swimming trunks and the fact that his family’s getting dragged into it.”
He added: “He was appointed 10 days ago to be the head of MI6; he’s an outstanding professional who will do a really good job in an outstanding organisation that does a huge amount for this country.”
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by Adam, Bath
Monday, July 06 2009, 7:47PM
“So the Mail go on about security blunders then post the pictures in a national newspaper???
That's almost as bad as the Guardian”
by Julia, Bath
Monday, July 06 2009, 7:37PM
“Is this national story being repeated here because of the MI6 bloke's link to Bath or the Chronicle's link to the Sunday Mail who are trying to get as much mileage out of this non-story as possible?”
by Moe, Bath
Monday, July 06 2009, 7:24PM
“Personally I'm glad that politicians are treating these non-stories with the contempt they deserve, instead of undermining their own credibility and the credibility of government itself by leaping over themselves to be the first to speak out against every non-issue the Mail invents to instill apoplexy in its readership.
Also like the way the Chron retains some dignity by reporting the reaction instead of the non-story itself. Still got the chattering classes chattering though, didn't it?”
by JC, Bath
Monday, July 06 2009, 5:53PM
“So we face an imminent & ongoing threat of Terrorism when selling ID cards, or introducing yet another law restricting freedom, yet this now conveniently disappears. Have they been lying to us by any chance?”
by clarysage50, Somerset
Monday, July 06 2009, 5:36PM
“That may well be the case, Shaun but the matter has highlighted a level of childishness which would not normally be expected from people in such a position of authority and trust.”