Five Eyes intelligence members to share stage in UK for first time

The conference will take place at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow Credit: PA

Members of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance are to share a stage in the UK for the first time.

UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand representatives will meet at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) annual conference CYBERUK in Glasgow on Wednesday.

They will discuss their experiences and how they work together to defend against shared cyber security threats during a public session at the Scottish Event Campus.

It comes as the Daily Telegraph reported Theresa May has given Chinese firm Huawei the green light to work on Britain’s new 5G network, despite concerns from the Cabinet.

It is the first time the five members of the alliance have met in the UK.

NCSC chief executive Ciaran Martin said: “Cyber security is an international team sport and we are delighted to host allies from around the world in this public way to discuss how we best defend from common adversaries.

“Cyber attacks do not respect international boundaries and many of the threats and vulnerabilities we face are shared around the globe.

“Each nation has sovereignty to defend itself as it sees best fit but it’s vital that we work closely with our allies to make the world as safe as possible.”

Members appearing from Five Eyes are Mr Martin, Rob Joyce, from the US National Security Agency, Scott Jones, head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Scott McLeod, of Australia’s Assure and Enable, and Jan Thornborough, of New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre.

Specialists from across government, industry and law enforcement will attend the two-day summit.

It will include speeches from GCHQ director Jeremy Fleming and Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington.

The theme of CYBERUK 2019 is to develop good cyber security for the public and help to make the technology they buy more secure.

Around 2,500 security experts are expected to attend the conference.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “The UK is one of the leading cyber powers in the world – but this is a global threat that needs a global response.

“That’s why we are working closely with our allies across the globe to deter and tackle cyber threats, share information and respond in a coordinated way to impose a price on malicious cyber activity.

“I am delighted to see 2,500 cyber security experts at CYBERUK in Glasgow, working to make cyberspace free, open, peaceful and secure.”