No Russian representative was present, one of the sources said. On Thursday evening, the intelligence chiefs held an informal gathering. Larger meetings of the intelligence community are rarer, and almost never publicised.Īlthough few details were available on the specific discussions in Singapore, Russia's war in Ukraine and transnational crime figured in the talks on Friday, the person with knowledge of the discussions added. The United States, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand operate what is called the Five Eyes network to gather and share a broad range of intelligence, and their intelligence officials meet frequently. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines attends the 20th IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore June 2, 2023. The Chinese and Indian governments did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Embassy in Singapore said it had no information on the meeting. "Participants have found such meetings held on the sidelines of the (dialogue) beneficial." "The Singapore Ministry of Defence may facilitate some of these bilateral or multilateral meetings," the spokesperson said.
SECRET GOVERNMENT JOBS CODE
"There is an unspoken code among intelligence services that they can talk when more formal and open diplomacy is harder - it is a very important factor during times of tension, and the Singapore event helps promote that."Īll five sources who discussed the meetings declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.Ī spokesperson for the Singapore Ministry of Defence said that while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue, "participants including senior officials from intelligence agencies also take the opportunity to meet their counterparts." "Given the range of countries involved, it is not a festival of tradecraft, but rather a way of promoting a deeper understanding of intentions and bottom lines. "The meeting is an important fixture on the international shadow agenda," said one person with knowledge of the discussions. Samant Goel, the head of India's overseas intelligence gathering agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, also attended, an Indian source said. was represented by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, the head of her country's intelligence community, while China was among the other countries present, despite the tensions between the two superpowers. The meetings have not been previously reported. Such meetings are organised by the Singapore government and have been discreetly held at a separate venue alongside the security summit for several years, they said.
And one name on her hit list will be the Cabinet Secretary who reportedly blocked her from becoming a Permanent Secretary.SINGAPORE, June 4 (Reuters) - Senior officials from about two dozen of the world's major intelligence agencies held a secret meeting on the fringes of the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting in Singapore this weekend, five people told Reuters.
That paves the way for Gray to become Starmer’s enforcer-in-chief and make plans for power. Perish the thought! Ministers could choose to reject Acoba’s advice but they have no power to stop her from taking up the role. Now all that is apparently in the past, with Acoba said to be concerned about ‘the strength of the Cabinet Office’s report on Gray’s departure and the length of the ban’ which would have been unprecedented. Oh, and there’s the small matter of whether Gray breached the civil service code on multiple counts by failing to act with ‘honest, integrity and impartiality’ in her dealings with Labour. This is despite a report by senior officials recommended Gray be barred from the role for a year, with a further six-month block on her contacting the government. For the Times is reporting today that Starmer will be able to appoint Gray in the autumn, after watchdog Acoba – the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments – recommended Gray should take just six months’ gardening leave. How, asked outraged Tories, could a supposedly impartial mandarin defect from being the government’s sleazebuster-in-chief to go and work for the opposition? Surely such a move ought to be against the rules? Sue Gray, the keeper of ministers’ secrets, caused outcry back in March when it was revealed she was lined up to become Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. What a surprise: the ultimate Whitehall insider looks set to be cleared by Whitehall.
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