MI6 Tops European Spy Survey With 251 Points, Beating France's DGSE by 82
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 8
MI6 Tops European Spy Survey With 251 Points, Beating France's DGSE by 82
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 8
Summary
L’Express ranked MI6 Europe’s top foreign intelligence service after a secret poll of 60 current and former spies, giving the British agency 251 points against DGSE’s 169.
17 current or former agency chiefs were among the voters, and the magazine said the unexpectedly wide gap reflected MI6’s reputation for cultivating high-level human sources over years.
That standing was also tied to MI6’s role with the CIA in correctly warning before Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, while French and German services were described as more skeptical.
The result comes despite past blows to MI6’s image, including its flawed Iraq war intelligence, suggesting the agency has rebuilt prestige through long-term agent handling and close Five Eyes ties.