Overview
- Davey told the Walking the Dog podcast that MI6 contacted him in 1988 after he applied to the Civil Service and invited him to apply for an unadvertised role.
- He said the recruitment process included detailed background checks, an interview in which he signed the Official Secrets Act, and an outline of language training and likely embassy-based work.
- Davey said he declined because the required secrecy would have prevented him from telling even close family about his work and because he was drawn to public life and politics.
- The claim comes from Davey’s first-person account and has been reported by multiple outlets; there is no public confirmation from MI6 in the coverage.
- Journalists placed Davey’s story in a wider context of historical recruitment at Oxbridge and quoted MI5 director-general Ken McCallum’s later statement that recruitment has since shifted to formal, open application processes.