Former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger dies aged 62

Sir Alex Younger, the former head of MI6, has died aged 62 after being treated for cancer.

Sir Alex, who led MI6 between 2014 and 2020, held a career in British intelligence that spanned almost three decades after joining the service in 1991.

A former British Army officer, he held postings in Europe and the Middle East and Afghanistan, before turning to commentating on global security.

In a 2016 speech, the former intelligence chief famously said fictional spy James Bond would not pass the agency's recruitment process. He later led recruitment calls to meet the "fourth generation espionage" needed to face evolving global threats.

Leading the tributes, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Sir Alex "led an exemplary life and career", adding "he will be remembered by the many ministers, colleagues, friends and family for his utmost dedication to British public life and protecting our nation."

Blaise Metreweli, the current chief of MI6, said Sir Alex "embodied my service's values of integrity, courage, creativity and respect."

She added: "He made a lasting and distinctive contribution to our country and indeed to global security".

Sir Alex once spoke to his old university, St Andrews, about his first job in the western Balkans in the mid-1990s, paving the way for the prosecution of war criminals.