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MI5 is grappling with near-record terrorism caseloads and surging state threats, director-general Sir Ken McCallum warned in an annual speech, calling it a “new era” and the agency’s biggest mission shift since 9/11. He cited a 35% rise in individuals under investigation, daily Chinese activity—disrupted as recently as last week—and 19 late-stage plots foiled since 2020 amid hundreds of developing threats. One in five of 232 terrorism arrests last year involved under-17s. He also flagged more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots, espionage across UK institutions, AI risks, and recent court criticism.

Prepared by Emily Rhodes and reviewed by editorial team.