Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2026 to question 10063 on Intelligence Services: Recruitment, for what reason are white candidates not eligible to apply for the MI5, MI6 and GCHQ Summer Intelligence Internship.

The UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) runs a number of internships and placement schemes. They are designed to provide insight about what it is like to work in UKIC to individuals who have particular skills and experience, want to work in a particular area, and/or are from demographics and backgrounds under-represented within UKIC. This is a lawful measure (as set out in the Equality Act 2010) used to encourage people from under-represented demographics to consider national security careers.

The eligibility criteria for specific internship schemes in UKIC are made publicly available on agency websites at the time when they are advertised. Any internship participant wishing to subsequently apply for employment with UKIC or the Civil Service is required to take part in fair and open competition, with selection based on merit.