Late release of MI5 Stakeknife files a ‘significant failure’, report says

Evening Standard

MI5’s initial failure to disclose all it knew about the Army’s top spy in the Provisional IRA during the Troubles was a “significant failure”, an independent report into the activities of Stakeknife has said.The final report of Operation Kenova said that MI5 had “earlier and greater knowledge” of Stakeknife than it had at first stated.The UK Government has been urged to name Stakeknife, with Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Jon Boutcher stating the refusal to do so is “bordering on farce”.

Transcript

00:00We may have completed this report far earlier, had MI5 not discovered fresh material relating

00:13to steak knife in the spring of 2024. These revelations, which continued over a number

00:20of months during 2024, were extremely disappointing, given that the investigation into steak knife

00:26had been completed and decisions not to prosecute already taken by the Public Prosecution Service

00:33for Northern Ireland. I would reiterate how shocked we were within Canova to learn of this

00:38new material, and how desperately disappointed we were to then explain to victims and families

00:45that we had not in fact received all relevant material, despite past assurances. The Director

00:52General of MI5 shared this concern, and he therefore committed resources to establish

00:57and disclose all the material it held. But notwithstanding the Director General recognising

01:04the issue, it was a significant failure on the part of MI5.

01:09Today's Canova report does not bookend things for these families. Rather, it points the way

01:16forward to getting more answers, and opens up doors on many other unresolved issues, not

01:23the least of which is the one that is stirring everyone in the face this afternoon, i.e., that

01:29is, the failure to name Fred's capitation as the agent steak knife.

01:34As this final report makes clear, we in Canova believe there is a compelling ethical case for

01:41the UK Government to derogate from the NCND policy regarding the agent steak knife's identity.

01:49It is in the public interest that steak knife is named.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended