Spycatcher

Spycatcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer (1987) is a memoir written by <a href="/facts/Peter_Wright_(MI5_officer)/7AFBwlbp">Peter Wright</a>, former <a href="/facts/MI5/mI3nc0YP">MI5</a> officer and assistant director, and co-author <a href="/facts/Paul_Greengrass/cc1KD9Fp">Paul Greengrass</a>. Wright drew on his experiences and research into the history of the British intelligence community. Published first in Australia, the book was banned in England (but not Scotland) due to its allegations about government policy and incidents. These efforts ensured the book's notoriety, and it earned considerable profit for Wright.
In 2021 and 2023, the <a href="/facts/Cabinet_Office/FHkwzJ6D">Cabinet Office</a> was still blocking or redacting <a href="/facts/Freedom_of_Information_Act_2000/q5NoFv6V">freedom of information</a> requests for files on the Spycatcher affair despite the rule that <a href="/facts/Thirty-year_rule/jpVR974t">documents should be released after 30 years</a>. Information belonging to the security services is <a href="/facts/Freedom_of_Information_Act_2000/q5NoFv6V">absolutely exempted</a> from the Freedom of Information Act.

Spycatcher open-in-new

Spycatcher