Ken McCallum: MI5 appoints officer who led Skripal poisoning investigation as new head

The senior MI5 officer who led the investigation into the poisoning of the Skripals and organised security for the London Olympics, has been appointed the new head of the service.

Ken McCallum, who has been working for the Security Service for 25 years, had been the head of counter-terrorism after extensive experience dealing with republican and loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland before focusing on Islamist extremists and cyber warfare.

Mr McCallum becomes the 18th director general of MI5, succeeding Sir Andrew Parker who retires after seven years in the post. This is the first part of changeovers at the top of Britain’s security and intelligence services. MI6 chief, Alex Younger, is also expected to retire this year after serving for six years as ‘C’. Both the men had extended their term in office to oversee the Brexit process.

Candidates from outside the services have been considered for the post, however Mr McCallum had been viewed as the firm favourite for the MI5 job, it was felt, with the need for continuity in uncertain and hazardous times.

It was also felt that Mr McCallum’s long-standing working relationship with European counterparts will be of great value as the UK leaves the European Union, with details of the security arrangement still to be finalised

Mr McCallum, who is Scottish, went to a state school, as did Parker. He graduated with a degree in mathematics from Glasgow University and is said to be keen on engaging with the private sector in a number of fields.

The Security Service stated that one of the new head’s main priorities would be concentrating on the challenges of technology. There is recognition of rapidly increasing threats of cyber attacks from hostile states, terrorist groups and organised crime.

There are also rising dangers from hacking and disinformation campaigns, with investigations into Russian interference into the US Presidential election, which took Donald Trump to the White House, and charges of the Kremlin trying to manipulate votes in elections and referendums in Europe.

The latest example of a state organised misinformation offensive, it is claimed, is the orchestrated claim by the government in Beijing that the coronavirus pandemic did not start in China, but the result of a secret US and Western operation.

One of the issues Mr McCallum will inherit is the continuing controversy of the involvement of Huawei into the UK’s 5G network. Boris Johnson’s government faced a commons revolt over letting in the Chinese company, and there is likely to be renewed pressure from the US administration on the issue in the aftermath of the fallout of the row over coronavirus and charges of Chinese subterfuge.

In one of his last public statements, Parker said that he found it “increasingly mystifying” that security agencies are not able to read encrypted messages of terror suspects who they are tracking. The result, he held, is that cyberspace has become “a wild west, unregulated and inaccessible to authorities”.

However, the intelligence and security services will also have to deal with the very real violent threats, say officials, from extremists, far right as well as Islamist groups and "lone wolves".

There is an expectation that after seeing the devastation, in lives as well as economic terms, by Covid-19, terrorist groups may try to intensify efforts to acquire biological and chemical capabilities.

Mr McCallum said in a statement: “MI5’s purpose is hugely motivating. Our people – with our partners – strive to keep the country safe and they always want to go the extra mile. Having devoted my working life to that team effort, it is a huge privilege now to be asked to lead it as director general.”

The home secretary, Priti Patel, said: “Since becoming home secretary, I have worked closely with Ken and I’m delighted to appoint him as the new director general. We are facing unprecedented national security threats and I’m confident that his experience and vision will allow the UK to meet those challenges head on.

“I also would like to pay tribute to Sir Andrew Parker, who has led the service through a very challenging period which saw the threat to the UK evolve rapidly. He has served his country with dedication and commitment and I thank him for his efforts.”