Tony Blair refused to share intelligence with Ireland over Sellafield threat, archives show
MI5 reportedly rejected a request from then-Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern to share intelligence on potential terrorist threats to Britain’s Sellafield nuclear facility.
Newly declassified government files reveal that following the devastating Madrid train bombing in 2004, Mr Ahern warned Tony Blair of an “international catastrophe” that could affect Ireland if international terrorists targeted the Cumbrian region.
But documents released to the National Archives at Kew, west London, show Mr Blair rejected the request for intelligence sharing, citing the need to protect the confidentiality of UK sources.
Instead the Irish leader had to obtain assurances that the British ambassador would inform his authorities if any threat to Sellafield emerged.
This follows MI5’s warning that if sensitive material is shared with Dublin “no guarantee can be given as to who will have access to this information”.
Writing to Mr Blair after coordinated bomb attacks by Islamist extremists on the Madrid suburban network in March 2004, which killed 193 people, Mr Ahern said it underlined the “ruthlessness and determination” of global terrorists.
“I think it’s fair to say that terrorist targets that could result in international disasters deserve special attention,” he said.
“I understand your concerns about protecting the integrity of sensitive information about nuclear facilities and the need to protect detailed information about the design and nature of nuclear facilities from falling into dangerous hands.
“However, I believe it should be possible to make arrangements for the secure transmission of sensitive information.”
But the Department for Trade and Industry, which is responsible for the UK’s nuclear facilities, said Security Service MI5 was unhappy with the offer.
Foreign Secretary Patricia Hewitt’s private office official, Shantha Shan, told No 10: “These letters signal the Irish determination not to let go of the Sellafield issue.”
“We consulted the Security Service and concluded that we must maintain a firm line not to disclose any intelligence related to terrorism, as there can be no guarantees as to who will have access to that information, whatever arrangements are made.”
Mr Blair sought to reassure him that if the government received intelligence that there was a real threat to Sellafield, they would seek to share that assessment as fully and quickly as possible “subject to the constraints placed on us by the creators of that intelligence”.
Mr Ahern was still unhappy and complained that although he understood that intelligence sources needed to be protected, “priority must be given to the protection of the lives and health of our citizens”.
British Ambassador Sir Ivor Roberts said Ireland’s renewed focus on issues such as Sellafield was partly down to the success of the Good Friday Agreement, which meant relations with the UK were no longer viewed “exclusively through the prism of Northern Ireland”.
“Much of this year has been spent fighting a strong rearguard action against opposition parties and NGOs who are pressuring the Irish government to take a more advanced position than they would instinctively take at Sellafield,” he reported.
“This has led to an increase in the number of cases filed against us in international courts and an increase in the discourse.”
