SpooksU.K. substantially to increase the number of U.K. spies

Published 9 November 2015

George Osborne, the chancellor of the exchequer, said the government spending review, due out on 25 November, will substantially increase the number of intelligence officers in the three U.K. intelligence agencies who are responsible for investigating, analyzing, and helping thwart terrorist plots. The chancellor said: “The changing nature of war, espionage and terrorism meant government itself had to change in its response.”

George Osborne, the chancellor of the exchequer, said the government spending review, due out on 25 November, will substantially increase the number of intelligence officers in the three U.K. intelligence agencies who are responsible for investigating, analyzing, and helping thwart terrorist plots.

The chancellor said: “The changing nature of war, espionage and terrorism meant government itself had to change in its response.”

“The Internet — central to modern life — provides new ways for our enemies to plan and act against us. The threat from terrorists — from extreme ideologies — needs to be challenged head-on. The probable fate of that Russian airliner in Sinai is a painful reminder of that,” he said, referring to the flight which crashed in the Sinai Peninsula.

The Daily Mail reports that Osborne said he remained committed to a surplus of £10 billion by the end of this parliament, saying: “You don’t want to be just over the line, because a lot can happen over the coming years and these forecasts can move around. That’s why I think you want a reasonably comfortable margin in delivering a surplus.”

Osborne was backed by David Cameron, the prime minister, who, in a speech to the CBI, described the spending review as “all about putting the security of British families first.”

Analysts say that Osborne and Cameron may be preparing the ground for an open clash with Work and Pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, who has been agitating against any effort by Osborne to raid the universal credit (UC) budget to pay for other programs.