Running from Spies MI5 - P1

Running from Spies MI5 - P1

From What I survived by Jack Laurence

March 31, 2026 · 30 min · Season 1 · Episode 26

About this episode

Annie shares her journey from aspiring diplomat to MI5 officer and whistleblower.

Born in 1968, the daughter of a former pilot who became a Gurnsey newspaper editor, Annie won a scholarship to a private school and would go on to study at Britain's elite Cambridge University. In 1990, Annie sat a Foreign Office examination in hopes of becoming a diplomat but instead would receive a rather obscure letter suggesting there might be other careers that would suit her better and that was the start of her recruitment into the infamous MI5, Britain's secret service. She was posted to their counter-subversion department, officially known as 'F2' and almost from day 1 found herself uncomfortable with what was happening behind the scenes. In 1996, she resigned from MI5 in order to help her then partner and MI5 officer David Shayler reveal a series of alleged crimes committed by the agency. In doing so they had broken the official secrets act, a crime punishable by imprisonment, David and Annie we're now Wanted and being hunted by their former employer. You can get a copy of Annie's book here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Jack Laurence

Guest: Annie

Topics covered

  • MI5
  • espionage
  • diplomacy
  • whistleblowing
  • counter-subversion
  • personal story

Keywords

  • MI5
  • Annie
  • David Shayler
  • whistleblower
  • espionage
  • Cambridge University
  • counter-subversion
  • Foreign Office
  • Gurnsey

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MI5, Foreign Office, Cambridge University

Places: Gurnsey

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