Britain’s 007s have had their licences to kill renewed after a gap of nearly 60 years.
A minister has revealed that our secret agents can now eliminate Britain’s enemies in countries other than warzones.
Defence minister Annabel Goldie was asked in a written question whether British spooks target the UK’s foes “located in non-belligerent states”.
Baroness Goldie, responsible for arms control, replied: “The Government may draw on a wide range of tools including, in extremis, the use of lethal force where there is no other effective option.”
Novelist Ian Fleming popularised James Bond’s licence to kill signified by his double-0 number. The fictional spy used it to dispatch 38 adversaries.
In real life, MI6 agents can only use such licences under Section 7 of the 1994 Intelligence Services Act.
They need a written “Clause Seven Authorisation” from Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab before they can take out one of Britain’s enemies.
That protects them from being charged with murder when they return home. But the last time MI6 is known to have assassinated anyone was in 1961 when its deputy director George Young ordered a killing in Iran.
Espionage expert Nigel West, alias former Tory MP Rupert Allason, said: “This is linked to the legal problem that arose when British passport-holding jihadis were identified by MI5 and MI6, who passed their details to the CIA.
"The individuals were later killed in Predator drone strikes.
“Our intelligence officers were anxious about their legal liability in claims from victims’ families.”
The MoD said: “The UK has a right to act in self-defence where there is an imminent threat.”
