Britain’s spies not paid enough, says MI6 chief

Image: Rex Features

Britain’s spies are not being paid enough to go the “extra mile” according to the head of MI6, Sir John Sawers. New recruits to MI5, MI6 and GCHQ start on £25,000. This rises to £43,000 after ten years of service. Sawer’s comments, from the Intelligence and Security Committee’s (ISC) annual report, paint a very different picture for those of us who imagine spies to spend their days racing around in Aston Martins with beautiful girls. Ironically, it seems that if you want to earn big money and attract beautiful women you’re probably far better off actually working in exports than being a spy.