News Politics and International Society Welcomes Former Chief of MI6 23.09.2026

The Politics and International Relations Society was delighted to welcome Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) – traditionally known as ‘C’ – as our guest speaker this week. Sir Richard was head of the service from 1999-2004 and his tenure saw the 9/11 attacks and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sir Richard spoke about the history of MI5, MI6 and GCHQ and explained how the services work in practice. It was fascinating to gain insight into how decisions are made, and how the different services help to protect British interests. Sir Richard spoke about the various roles he held within the service and what these revealed about Britain’s partnerships around the world, in particular with the US and France. He explained why he felt this was such a valuable career for students to consider as they think about what they would like to do with their lives.

Following the talk, there was a lively Q&A where students asked a wide range of questions from the experience of living under surveillance to Sir Richard’s views on current international tensions. 

Thank you very much to Sir Richard for providing such fascinating insights and for opening this year’s speaker programme.