Revelations regarding motorsport boss Max Mosley’s er, slightly idiosyncratic, sex life are now on their way from the merely ridiculous to the burlesque.
Now, in an ideal precursor to the Monaco Grand Prix, there’s a suggestion that MI5 may somehow have been involved in his downfall. This from today’s Telegraph:
Max Mosley orgy revelation forces M15 agent to quit
An MI5 agent has resigned after it emerged his prostitute wife engineered the tabloid sting that exposed Max Mosley, the head of motor racing, as having taken part in a sado-masochistic orgy.
The disclosure is deeply embarrassing for Britain’s security service and has forced a review of vetting.
The man was a surveillance operative with several years of service. His wife, 38, is believed to have approached the News of the World when she realised that Mr Mosley — a regular client — had booked five prostitutes for a sex session costing £2,500.
[snip]
Mr Evans gave a categorical assurance that MI5 was not involved and Whitehall officials insist that, because Mr Mosley did not represent a security threat, he would not have been the subject of a covert operation. Read full story here…
Now, if that was on the telly, you’d cry foul and say it was all too unlikely for words, wouldn’t you?
The Times has joined in the fray with a thundering comment piece aimed squarely between MI5’s eyes:
Commentary: a deep embarrassment to security services
At a time when MI5 is having to counter the threat posed to this country from an estimated 2,000 home-grown terrorist suspects, the Max Mosley affair is both deeply embarrassing and an unwelcome diversion.
[snip]
The MI5 officer indirectly involved in the latest revelation about Mr Mosley’s sex session with five prostitutes has resigned. But there are questions that have to be asked: did he know his wife was a prostitute, was he aware that she had played a role in the downfall of Mr Mosley, did he have a hint that she had gone to the News of the World with the story when she realised he had booked a sex session with five prostitutes?
If he had had any knowledge of his wife’s secret life as a prostitute and had failed to tell his employers, he would have been in serious breach of MI5’s code of conduct, which relies on its staff’s integrity and honesty. No one seems to know the answers to these questions at this stage. Read full story here…
Hmmm. Roll on June 3.