Ex-MI5 agent plans to stand against Blair at election
Ex-MI5 agent David Shayler is reportedly intending to stand against Tony Blair at the forthcoming general election.
Mr Shayler will be campaigning in Mr Blair’s Sedgefield constituency against the Prime Minister’s decision to go to war in Iraq, the BBC reports.
The MI5 whistleblower, who was jailed for breaking the Official Secrets Act, says he is concerned about Labour’s “attack” on democratic rights.
The former counter-terrorism officer claims that Mr Blair’s “misguided actions” have put the country at greater risk of terrorist attack.
Mr Shayler acknowledged that he was unlikely to overturn the Prime Minister’s 17,713 majority, but said he was planning to mount a “serious” campaign in Mr Blair’s seat.
“Our democracy is in crisis and unless we act now, there will be no democracy left fighting for,” BBC News online quotes Mr Shayler as saying.
“If we can encourage a large protest vote in Sedgefield, it would send a clear message to the politicians of this country that the people have had enough of autocratic leaders who fail to represent their constituents,” he added.
Mr Shayler said he had planned to stand against the Prime Minister at the last election, but had been unable to do so because his court case was still ongoing at the time.
The ex-MI5 agent was convicted of breaking the Official Secrets Act in November 2002, after being found guilty of leaking secret documents to the Mail on Sunday in 1997.
The judge rejected his claim that he had acted out of a sense of public duty in exposing malpractice within the security services and sentenced Mr Shayler to six month’s imprisonment.
