Modern-day spies are more likely to be women than James Bond-type men ‘shooting people when they feel like it’, says BBC security expert

According to BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, today’s spies are more likely to be women from diverse backgrounds and often have lawyers to help them plan their operations.

The days of a James Bond-style spy like Roger Moore, who “traveled all over the world and shot people whenever he felt like it” are over, Gardner said.

He said: ‘I’ve met some very impressive women in the security industry. They were at least as impressive as the men, if I may say so.

‘The modern world of espionage is not exactly a ‘polished and hardened’ Oxbridge world, but much more diverse.’

According to the BBC expert, modern spies are more likely to be women from ethnic backgrounds. (Frank Gardner pictured outside the BBC studios)

Mr Gardner was giving a lecture at the Buxton Literary Festival in Derbyshire about the latest book in his series of novels about a fictional MI6 spy.

He said his characters and plots are “based on a modern scenario.” The latest novel, Invasion, is set against the backdrop of a feared invasion of Taiwan by belligerent China.

In previous novels, Gardner’s protagonist, secret agent Luke Carlton, faced 21st-century obstacles in his work.

Mr. Gardener said, “If Luke goes to Columbia, he has to take a lawyer with him. And at one point Luke is stopped by his counselor who says, ‘You haven’t done your unconscious bias training yet.’

The journalist said the use of lawyers by British spies stems from blunders such as 2004, when “MI6 got into big trouble” over its involvement in the illegal extradition of Libyan dissident Abdul Hakim Belhaj from the Gaddafi regime.

In 2018, then Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to apologise to Mr Belhaj, who had spent six years in Gaddafi’s prison and said he had been tortured.

“Nowadays every transaction has to be legalised from the outset, with lawyers sitting in the room while the case is discussed and giving their initial thoughts,” Mr Gardner said.

Mr Gardner spoke about China’s ‘smart’ positioning at the forefront of the world’s technological development

According to Gardner, the Russian economy is at “wartime levels,” with 7-8% of GDP being spent on defense factories that produce cheap munitions. (Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin)

Discussing current global security threats, Mr Gardner spoke of China’s “smart” positioning as a leader in global technological development, making economic sanctions difficult for the West.

He also said a lack of defense spending would leave Western European countries struggling to cope with a war on the continent, and that the return of Donald Trump as US president could change the situation in Ukraine.

Mr Gardner said: ‘The problem with China is that it is the world’s second largest economy and it is deeply embedded in the global economy. China is absolutely essential to the global supply chain.

“This is a problem because China has done things in the recent past that have really angered the West, such as suppressing democracy in Hong Kong, suppressing the Uighurs, and threatening Taiwan.

“China’s behavior is cause for concern in the West… but if the West were to impose really serious sanctions on China, it would hurt the West as much as it would hurt China.”

Speaking about China’s role at the forefront of the development of solar panels, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, Mr Gardner said: ‘China has positioned itself very cleverly. In the future, the world will depend on them.’

On Russia, Mr Gardner weighed in on the defence budget debate, saying that spending by Western European countries was ‘painfully low and there are concerns about that’.

He pointed out that the Russian economy is at “war level,” with 7-8% of GDP spent on defense factories producing cheap munitions that “are not particularly good, but can overwhelm the Ukrainians.”

Mr Gardner said: ‘I think the big concern for many people in security, defence and international relations is that we are not spending enough on defence. Britain currently spends 2.3% of GDP.

The BBC pundit claimed that Donald Trump’s return as US president could mean the ‘demise’ of Ukraine. (Donald Trump is helped off stage by US Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler)

Mr Gardner said that if there is a challenge to Joe Biden’s candidacy to run again for president for the Democrats, a last-minute candidate would have to be found “very quickly.” (President Joe Biden speaks at a news conference after the NATO summit in Washington)

‘There have been a number of warnings from military chiefs that we are not spending enough on defense.

“Our army is the smallest since Napoleonic times. We have few ships, let alone aircraft, to fight a large-scale war in Europe if it were to break out.”

Across the Atlantic, Mr Gardner said if there is a challenge to Joe Biden’s candidacy to run for the Democratic presidency again, a last-minute candidate would have to be found “very quickly”.

He said a return of Donald Trump to the White House would risk “making America even more inward-looking.”

But he added: ‘Many of his supporters say: why should we spend our tax money on defending Europe when they can’t even spend 2.5% of GDP on defence?

‘If Trump becomes president, there is a good chance that he will destroy Ukraine by withdrawing military aid.’

According to Gardner, Eastern European countries, such as those in the Baltic states, fear that they could become the next target of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression.