UK and US spy chiefs warn of threat to world order

Top US and UK intelligence chiefs warn the world order is “under threat in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War”.

The heads of the US and UK's intelligence agencies warn the global order faces its greatest threat since the Cold War, citing Russia, China and the Middle East.

CIA director Bill Burns and UK MI6 chief Richard Moore warned on Saturday that the world order was “under threat in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War”.

CIA Director William Burns. Picture: Getty Images

Writing in a Financial Times op-ed, the two spy chiefs said “we have no more trusted or esteemed allies” than each other, adding that the partnership would be vital as they “face an unprecedented array of threats”, chiefly from Russia, China and in the Middle East.

The ongoing conflict is Gaza is of particular concern, and Burns later told an FT conference in London that he was “working hard” with Egyptian and Qatari mediators to refine a framework for a ceasefire.

MI6 Chief Richard Moore (pictured) and Mr Burns said the world order was ‘under threat in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War’. Picture: Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images

“We will make this more detailed proposal, I hope, in the next several days,” he added.

The United States and UK are among the leading financial and military supporters of Ukraine in its resistance to the Russian invasion launched in February 2022.

“Staying the course is more vital than ever,” they wrote in the op-ed.

“We continue to work together to disrupt the reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe being waged by Russian intelligence.”

The pair also explained how they were now using advanced AI and cloud technologies to harness the vast troves of data they collect.

The joint article comes days before UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Washington on September 13, where he will be received by US President Joe Biden.

They will discuss, among other things, “continuing robust support to Ukraine” and the desire to achieve a truce in Gaza, the White House said on Friday.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images

This meeting takes place at a time when the two nations’ stance on Israel is diverging.

Britain and the United States have co-operated in lock-step on most global issues, and Biden’s Democrats historically have been seen as closer to the Labour Party than the Conservatives.

Starmer, however, has taken a harder line on Israel since taking office, with his government announcing a suspension of some arms shipments, citing the risk that they could be used to violate humanitarian law.

The Labour government has also dropped its Conservative predecessor’s plans to challenge the right of the International Criminal Court to seek the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court and has opposed the bid to target Netanyahu, arguing that Israel has its own systems for accountability.

But the United States, Israel’s primary weapons supplier, did not criticise the arms decision, saying that Britain had its own process to make assessments.