SAS TV star Ant Middleton accused of breaching military confidentiality contract on podcast

Television star Ant Middleton is accused of breaching a confidentiality agreement with the Ministry of Defense by sharing “highly sensitive” details about his time in the special forces in a podcast, according to information given to the Supreme Court.

The department alleges that Mr Middleton, who previously presented Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins, breached contract in an episode of the Mike Drop podcast titled “Exposing the Quiet Divide Between UK and US Forces”, published on YouTube in July.

Defense Ministry lawyers told a hearing on Thursday that Mr Middleton signed an agreement to join special forces in 2008, which prevented him from providing information about the work of UK special forces even if the information was not accurate.

At the hearing in London they successfully asked a judge to grant an interim injunction until a full hearing of the legal claim was completed, saying the case concerned a “serious, damaging breach” of contract.

The court heard the Ministry of Defense would neither confirm nor deny whether the statements Mr Middleton made on the podcast were true, but the department claimed they were within the scope of the contract.

Representing herself at the hearing, Middleton denied the agreement had been breached and opposed the offer of interim relief, telling the court in London that she had not been paid for the podcast and that the legal process was “sudden, serious and disproportionate”.

In the ruling, Mr Justice Garnham said he had “no hesitation” in granting the interim relief, stating that refusing to do so could cause “significant harm” to the UK special forces.

The department’s Oliver Sanders KC told the hearing that Mr Middleton served in special forces from 2008 to 2011.

The confidentiality agreement stated that Mr Middleton would give “a solemn undertaking which binds me for the rest of my life” not to disclose information relating to his special forces service “without prior written permission” from the Ministry of Defence.

Mr Sanders said it was not just limited to information that was accurate and that Mr Middleton had “generally complied with his contract” but that he had not requested or been given the authority to disclose information about the Mike Drop podcast.

The episode, which lasted approximately 4 hours and reached over 147 thousand views, included sections titled “The final stages of the SAS election” and “Bureaucracy and the breaking point in Afghanistan”.

It was announced without informing the Ministry, it was announced without permission, and if the authority had wanted to be disclosed, it would have been rejected.

“References to weapons, international partners, intelligence matters are extremely sensitive… this is all very sensitive information and should not have been disclosed.”

Mr. Sanders also said the Defense Department was taking legal action to “reassure our partners that our personnel will not leave and blow the issue around.”

Mr Middleton, a father of five who now lives in the United Arab Emirates, told the court his military service included tours of Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone.

He continued that disclosing information that could endanger soldiers was “against everything I have ever known or stood for” and that the information he relayed in the podcast was “easily obtained through an internet search.”

He also said some of the information quoted came from his time serving in the Royal Marines and that this was not covered by a confidentiality agreement.

He said: “Despite many attempts by myself and my legal team to engage in constructive dialogue with the Ministry of Defence, we have been faced with what we consider an unreasonable and aggressive approach.

“We wanted to mediate at every corner.”

He continued: “We remain unclear as to exactly what specific claims we are expected to defend.”

He added: “It is impossible to mount an appropriate defense or even take corrective action without knowing the full context in question.”

He also said: “I have never put my country or my comrades at risk.

“I believe that the allegation that I have revealed military secrets is truly shocking and unfounded.”

Mr Middleton also said he had removed the podcast from his social media and that Mike Ritland, host of the Mike Drop podcast, had also agreed to remove the podcast.

The interim injunction will continue until a full hearing of the legal claim, scheduled for March 3 next year, and the Ministry of Defense will seek a permanent injunction compelling Mr Middleton to comply with the terms of the settlement.