The UK Foreign Secretary has dismissed allegations of recklessness by the new head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, after pictures and personal details of him were published on the social networking site Facebook.
David Miliband described Sir John as an ‘outstanding professional’ and denied that the details on the website, which have since been removed, would compromise his career.
Lady Shelley Sawers, Sir John's wife, disclosed details on Facebook including the location of the London flat used by the couple and the whereabouts of their three children and of Sir John's parents, according to the Mail on Sunday newspaper.
Lady Sawers put no privacy protection on her account, allowing any of Facebook's 200 million users in the open-access ‘London’ network to see the entries.
Senior British politicians said the security lapse raised concerns about the M16 chief’s ability to take up his post as chief of the Secret Intelligence Service this November, giving him responsibility for Britain's overseas spying operations.
Edward Davy, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, called on the prime minister Gordon Brown to launch an inquiry into the matter.
Conservative MP Patrick Mercer, chairman of the counter-terrorism sub-committee, said the MI6 chief had left himself open to blackmail.
