MI5 must provide proof to be trusted by courts, says oversight commissioner

Lord Leveson, the investigatory powers commissioner and a former Court of Appeal justice, stated that courts will now be much more reluctant to accept statements from MI5 without hard proof. This shift follows a BBC News investigation that exposed how the security service lied to three courts and protected an abusive neo-Nazi informant known as Agent X. The investigation revealed serious and systemic failures within MI5, including senior officers lying repeatedly and misleading colleagues. MI5 has since apologized and accepted the findings without reservation, while new policies and oversight have been introduced regarding how agents are managed and how evidence is prepared for courts.