Топик: Intelligence

Why has she done it? Money could be one reason. She has a decent pension from MI5, a couple of non-executive directorships, including one at Marks & Spencer, but those are small beer compared to the six figure sum she could expect for her "autobiography of a spook". Yet some of those who know her doubt that she would stoop so low as to sell her country's secrets for personal gain.

Many of her colleagues think that she has another motive: vanity. Stella Rimington used to be a very important person. Now she isn't. It's painful and she just wants to be back in the limelight.

But on the other hand there are no reasons to worry about. Stella Rimington was a brilliant woman, so we will remember her forever.

Besides, not long afterwards, she was immortalized as James Bond's new boss in Golden eye. James Bond worked, of course, for MI6, not MI5, but everyone assumed that Dame Judi Dench, who starred in the role, was playing Stella Rimington - including Dame Stella herself who found the portrayal "quite startling”.