MI6 chief Sir John Sawers to stand down

MI6 chief Sir John Sawers will stand down after five years in the post, the Foreign Office has confirmed.

Sir John is set to leave the Secret Intelligence Service in November, a spokesman said.

Prior to his appointment in 2009, he served as a career diplomat rising to become Britain's ambassador to the United Nations.

Previously Sir John spent three years as foreign policy adviser to the then-prime minister Tony Blair.