The ‘dirty dossier’ accusing President Trump of asking prostitutes to urinate on a Moscow hotel bed slept in by Barack Obama ‘probably has some credibility,’ the former boss of MI6 said tonight.
The dossier of alleged Russian intelligence on Trump was prepared by former British spy Christopher Steele and released in January.
It accuses the President of colluding with Russians before his election and of engaging in ‘perverted sexual activity’.
In his first public interview on BBC Two’s Newsnight, Sir Richard Dearlove said: ‘I think that there is probably some credibility in the dossier but I wouldn’t put it any more forcefully than that.’
The former head of MI6 tonight warned terror attacks on British soil are more likely as ISIS jihadis return from Syria
The former head of MI6 also warned terror attacks on British soil are more likely as ISIS jihadis return from Syria.
He said: ‘At the moment there is of course going to be a heightened risk as we’ve got more returnees coming back from Syria and probably Afghanistan as well.’
But the 72-year-old insisted that ‘terror is containable and manageable’ and ‘does not present a systemic threat to the nation.’
He added: ‘The chances of getting caught up in a terror attack are relatively low, although when they happen they are catastrophic. Terror attacks are horrible happenings which we are learning to deal with.’
Brexit supporter Dearlove, who was head of MI6 from 1999 until 2004, did his first public interview to discuss an open letter he sent to French President Emmanuel Macron to persuade him that Brexit presents him with an opportunity.
Asked why he supports Brexit, Dearlove explained: ‘I’m looking more generally at future of EU – we have always believed in shallow political union. If Macron is determined to integrate the union, he doesn’t want us to be part of it.
‘We are offering continental Europe an opportunity, we can be very supportive of a united continental Europe which will serve our interests closely. There’s no disaster about the UK returning to our mid-Atlantic position which is the one we have traditionally occupied.’
Presenter Evan Davies asked if the mid-Atlantic position was a wise one to take given that the unpredictable Donald Trump holds the keys to the White House.
Dearlove replied that the US President will ‘probably last only another three years’ so it’s not worth changing or basing policy around him.
He insisted that the ‘US is still a very reliable ally to in terms of intelligence’ despite US leaks over the Manchester bombings which saw pictures of Salmen Abedi’s nail bomb which killed 22 in June appear in the New York Times.
Presenter Evan Davies asked if the mid-Atlantic position was a wise one to take given that the unpredictable Donald Trump holds the keys to the White House
One the subject of Russia, Dearlove said: ‘The EU does not have the military capability or power to balance Russia and I think that one of the ancillaries of Brexit should be an increase in our defence spending.’
He then dismissed allegations that the Russians influenced the Brexit referendum to destabilise Europe before adding: ‘I don’t think there’s any question that they got involved in the US election and I think probably on Putin’s part that was a misjudgement.’
Dearlove ended the interview on a positive note, saying that there is great hope for Britain after Brexit.
Asked if the turbulence caused by Brexit will last for decades, he said: ‘I would pick closer to five years. I think we can emerge in a pretty strong position if we do not lose self-belief and self-confidence’.