article_snippet.sent: It's constantly battling to protect us from terrorism and the host of other major threats in the modern world.
article_snippet.sent: So you might think MI5 would have more important things to worry about than running a competition for Blue Peter viewers to go to ‘spy school’.
article_snippet.sent: the initiative comes at a time when the UK’s intelligence agencies are busier than ever before fighting threats from Al Qaeda, Islamic State and Russia.
article_snippet.sent: And their ability to track foreign and home-grown terrorists and monitor their communications has been severely damaged due to the intelligence leaks by ex-US spy Edward Snowden.
article_snippet.sent: The Blue Peter stunt came as Britain’s intelligence agencies launched a fresh drive to recruit more gay, ethnic and disabled spies.
article_snippet.sent: MI5, MI6 and GCHQ have teamed up with gay rights charity Stonewall and other equal opportunities groups in a bid to attract employees from different backgrounds.
article_snippet.sent: An advert for the initiative, which was launched last year, said: ‘Today’s spies come from every background modern Britain has on offer, a cultural and linguistic breadth that enables ’s spies to operate against every threat the UK faces.
highlights_snippet.sent: Stunt comes with MI5 busier than ever battling terrorism and rise of Russia .