Security guarantees needed before Stakeknife is named

Pressure is growing on the Government to name Stakeknife after the publication of the final report from Operation Kenova.

Guarantees would be needed that the naming of the Army’s top spy in the IRA during the Troubles would not impact on current security operations, the shadow Northern Ireland Secretary has said.

However, Alex Burghart said there may be reasons for the Government to go further than its policy of Neither Confirm Nor Deny (NCND) in regard to officially confirming the identity of the agent Stakeknife as it was an “extreme and unusual case”.

The Tory MP said there were people within MI5 and the Army who “absolutely crossed the line” in their handling of the agent, who has been linked to at least 14 murders and 15 abductions.

Pressure is growing on the Government to name St