Spy masters say Britain should stay in EU for security reasons

The man who headed the "spy" agency famed as the home of iconic secret agent 007 James Bond, said Sunday that Britain should stay in the EU for security reasons.

Sir John Sawers, head until 2014 of Britain's Intelligence Service MI6, the "spy" agency linked to the fictional secret agent James Bond, joined forces with Lord Jonathan Evans, former head of Britain's second major intelligence service MI5, to issue their warning.

They warned that leaving the EU could undermine "our ability to protect ourselves" from terrorists.

Their "stay" plea was published today in a letter to the Sunday Times newspaper, ahead of next month's national referendum on EU membership.

The two men said EU membership makes vital information more readily available to British intelligence services.

Brexit, they warn, could also lead to "instability in the European Continent," compounding the current "economic difficulties, the migration crisis and a resurgent Russia."

They write: "Intelligence work today relies on the lawful and accountable use of large data-sets to reveal the associations and activities of terrorists and cyber-attackers. As an EU member, we shape the debate, we push for what we think is the right balance between security and privacy and we benefit from the data that flows as a result."

In their Sunday Times letter, Sawers and Evans say modern intelligence work relies on gathering large amounts of data on terrorists and cyber-attackers.

They suggest that if Britain left the EU, the country's security forces would be unable to shape the terms for sharing that data with their counterparts in Europe.

They also fear an agreement on data sharing reached without the UK would be too restrictive. "If Britain left the EU we would have little say over the terms for data sharing," they wrote.

Sawers warns that a vote to leave would permanently damage relations with other EU countries. He likens Britain leaving the EU like "a father abandoning his wife and children."

Sawers insisted that he and Evans had not coordinated their intervention with 10 Downing Street, saying their plea was not done at the behest of anybody else.

In their letter, they describe terrorist plots inspired in the Middle East by IS, and cyber attacks by hostile governments and organized criminals, and a resurgent and unpredictable Russia, as the most severe set of security challenges for a generation.

"We can deal with these threats only with a full intelligence picture and that comes from covertly monitoring the activities of those who wish to harm us."

"For our own security we need to stay in the EU and continue to to build collaboration with our EU partners against common threats," they conclude. Endit