MI6 appoint official to monitor intelligence

MI6 has appointed a senior officer to monitor the credibility of its intelligence as part of an overhaul of the agency in the wake of the Butler Inquiry.

The official, known as "R" - reporting officer - will assess the quality and accuracy of the information provided by agents.

His appointment follows criticism in Lord Butler's report into the use of intelligence ahead of the Iraq war.

Lord Butler criticised the way MI6 gathered and presented its intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

His inquiry found one of the agency's main sources was "unreliable" and said the intelligence behind Tony Blair's claim that Iraq could deploy its WMD within 45 minutes was "open to serious doubt".

Under the changes, "R" will act as a "quality control officer" who will vet reports before they are handed to clients such as Downing Street or the Metropolitan Police.

The reforms are being pushed through by John Scarlett. Mr Scarlett was previously head of the Joint Intelligence Committee, which signed off the "45-minute" claim dossier.