Edward who? GCHQ boss dodges Snowden topic during last speech

UK spies would rather 'walk' than do 'mass surveillance'

Small percentage of data

Lest this imply that GCHQ was attempting to hoover up any and every internet communication it could get its mitts on, he went on to say that, contrary to reports, it was only sampling a small amount.

Today, of all the communications out there globally – the emails, the texts, the images – only a small percentage are within reach of our sensors. Of that, we only intercept a small percentage; of that, we only store a minuscule percentage for a limited period of time; of that, only a small percentage is ever viewed or listened to, as permitted by our legal framework and self-evidently constrained by resource.

In an oblique reference to the Snowden furore, he said that GCHQ staff had responded to having their integrity repeatedly questioned with quiet determination and a stiff upper lip. He characterised spy agency staffers as ordinary people doing an extraordinary job.

"We have people with diverse skills and talents and geniuses from our past, like Alan Turing, remind us that neuro-diverse conditions can frequently unlock exceptional contributions. But basically they are normal decent human beings – people who spend their lives outside work shopping at Sainsbury’s or the Co-op, watching EastEnders and Spooks, listening to Radio 4 and TalkSport, drinking in pubs, wine bars and Cotswold tea rooms, and worrying about their kids, the weather, the football, cricket and rugby and what to have for tea. They give their time to charitable causes and help children in local schools.

"Outside work we are the people that the inhabitants of Cheltenham, Gloucester and the surrounding area regard as friends, neighbours and customers. We don’t suddenly lose our souls the moment we swipe into the doughnut. My staff are ordinary people doing an extraordinary job," he said.

The GCHQ boss went on to say that the spy agency operated within a strict compliance regime as well as an "ethos of personal accountability" drummed into new recruits during induction training.

I want to make it absolutely clear that the core of my organisation’s mission is the protection of liberty, not the erosion of it. And that presenting our activities as some sort of binary option – security or privacy – is to represent a false choice: we are committed to doing our utmost to deliver security at the same time as protecting privacy to the greatest extent possible. GCHQ’s compliance regime is supported by a strong culture and ethos of personal accountability. My staff undertake mandatory policy and legalities training before they can access operational data. And we underpin all this internally with a series of processes to uphold not just the letter but the spirit of the relevant laws and policies.

"My staff are the embodiment of British values, not a threat to them," the spy chief was due to conclude.

Sadly, we have to rely on copies of what he was due to say this lunchtime in reporting this. Our invite to hear him live having failed to appear.

Sir Iain will retire from GCHQ on Friday (24 October) after six-and-a-half years as director and 31 years as intelligence professional. Robert Hannigan succeeds him as the new Director of GCHQ.

The outgoing GCHQ boss has not disclosed his future plans beyond taking a few months rest, walking the Cotswold Way and learning Spanish properly.

The full text of the speech and images will be available on the GCHQ website after the speech has been delivered. ®