How Boris Johnson’s communication gaps reshaped MI6 and MI5 oversight?

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson forced the country’s intelligence service, MI6, to modify its monitoring methods due to repeated instances of being unreachable during his tenure.

According to a report by The Times based on an internal document, intelligence services were forced to review their standard operating procedures due to limited communication with the Prime Minister in certain situations.

The newspaper characterized Johnson as an “unreachable” prime minister.

There is a general agreement between the government and intelligence units that the phones and other communication channels of Members of Parliament should not be intercepted.

A regulation enacted approximately a decade ago to tighten oversight required the domestic intelligence service MI5, the foreign intelligence service MI6, and the electronic intelligence unit GCHQ to obtain direct authorization from the Prime Minister before conducting such surveillance.

However, due to Johnson’s habits and frequent unavailability for consultations, this regulation was updated. In cases where the Prime Minister cannot provide approval, one of five designated cabinet members can now grant permission for monitoring.

The term “designated cabinet members” refers to senior ministers whose legal authority to authorize highly sensitive intelligence operations in the Prime Minister’s absence is formally delegated.

Furthermore, The Times reported that it became impossible to contact Johnson on several occasions during his premiership between July 2019 and September 2022.

One such incident reportedly occurred in April 2020 while Johnson was in intensive care due to COVID-19. It was also noted that there were other instances where intelligence services could not reach him during foreign trips, leaving them unable to authorize covert surveillance operations on their own.

An amendment to the Investigatory Powers Act last year granted approval authority to specific ministers as well.

For this authority to be exercised, two key factors must coincide: the Prime Minister must be “unable” to act, and the matter must be “urgent.” In such cases, it is stipulated that the Prime Minister be informed afterward.

This change directly impacts the operational processes of MI6, which operates under the UK Foreign Office; MI5, which focuses on domestic threats; and GCHQ, which is responsible for cyber defense.