Future head of British MI6 in scandal over Facebook appearance

Jul 5, 2009, 13:02 GMT

London - An inquiry was being urged in Britain over whether the new head of the country's secret service MI6 should take over over the post after his wife apparently published personal details and photographs on the networking website Facebook, local media reported Sunday.

Shelley Sawers, the wife of John Sawers, disclosed personal family information including the location of their home in London, as well as the location of their children and her parents-in-law on the site, The Mail on Sunday reported.

The information was removed from the site after the British weekly contacted the Foreign Office.

No privacy protection was placed on Shelly Sawers' Facebook account, thus allowing open-access to information to anyone in the site's 'London' network, the paper said.

Senior politicians described the publication of the information on the site as a security lapse that raised questions over John Sawers' ability to take the reins of the foreign intelligence network in November.

'Normally, I would welcome greater openness in government for officials or politicians but this type of exposure verges on the reckless,' The Mail on Sunday quoted Liberal Democrat party foreign affairs spokesman, Edward Davy, as saying.

Other politicians suggested that the slip left the future MI6 chief open to blackmail.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband dismissed the allegations, saying that the type of swimwear Sawer wore on holidays was 'no state secret.'

Speaking on the British Broadcasting Corporation, Miliband added: 'For goodness sake let's grow up.'