A no-deal Brexit will put Britain in greater risk of jihadi attacks and regimes as Russia and China, the ex-head of MI6 has claimed.
Former head of the UK Secret Intelligence Service Sir John Scarlett said it will result in the UK being “unplugged” from vital EU intelligence and crime-busting systems on January 1.
He and former diplomat and EU Commissioner Sir Julian King claim it would hit decades of relationships built between spy agencies and information on cross-EU people movement.
Sir John – who led MI6 from 2004 to 2009 – said yesterday: “If there is a weakening of data exchange and investigative capability in the EU or UK then clearly that potentially weakens our ability to respond to the Islamic jihad threat.”
Both experts are raising awareness of the issue as the EU negotiation deadline looms.
No deal would mean the UK loses much of its co-operation with the Europol agency and Sir Julian claimed it would have an “immediate impact” on security.
Both men also said that Five Eyes – the intelligence-sharing group consisting of the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia – remains a vital tool in battling terrorism.
