Dr. Dan Lomas
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sandbaggerone.bsky.social
Dr. Dan Lomas
@sandbaggerone.bsky.social
Assistant Professor, University of Nottingham. Writes on 🇬🇧 intelligence.

Remains an opinionated Northerner & Mancunian. ✍ Vetting, 'Friends' & UK intelligence 📚 🇺🇦 Views my own.

🔗 https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/politics/people/daniel.lomas
Pinned
⁉️ What is UK national security vetting, and how has the current system evolved to meet insider threats?

Really pleased to see this political, social, and cultural history of British vetting finally reach Bloomsbury's website.

🗓 Out June 2025

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/secret-hi...
BBC News - Universities told to report foreign interference on campus to MI5
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Universities told to report foreign interference on campus to MI5
Ministers say UK universities have become a
www.bbc.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by Dr. Dan Lomas
Norway’s foreign intelligence service sees a growing risk of a more assertive Russia and China as the US pulls back from international cooperation and institutions www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Norway Spy Agency Says US Change Risks Russia and China Power Moves
Norway’s foreign intelligence service sees a growing risk of a more assertive Russia and China as the US pulls back from international cooperation and institutions.
www.bloomberg.com
February 7, 2026 at 10:43 PM
“Spies Among Us”: Espionage in Europe – A study on convicted spies in Europe 2008–2024

www.linkedin.com/redir/redire...
“Spies Among Us”: Espionage in Europe – A study on convicted spies in Europe 2008–2024
This study analyses open cases of individuals convicted of espionage in Europe between 2008 and 2024. The study focuses on espionage carried out by European citizens on behalf of foreign states, with a particular emphasis on insider espionage. Based on the literature, open sources on convicted individuals, and interviews with prosecutors, journalists, and researchers, the report identifies the instigating states, recruitment patterns, motives, operational methods, and target areas. A total of 70 cases were identified, spread across 20 countries. Most cases of convicted spies were found in Estonia, followed by Germany. In general, there were many cases in the Baltic states, while the number of cases of convicted spies was significantly lower in Western European countries. The study identifies ten types of spies, in which the image of traditional insiders with privileged access is broadened to include other types, such as non-experts in civilian sectors and one-time agents. The motives are multifaceted and often reflect economic drivers, ideological beliefs, coercion, or ego-related dissatisfaction. Recruitment strategies combine classic intelligence methods with digital approaches, including recruitment via social media. Espionage targets identified in the material cover several areas, from military and political information to critical infrastructure and new technologies. Taken together, these developments underscore the growing complexity of today's HUMINT threats in Europe
www.linkedin.com
February 7, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Reposted by Dr. Dan Lomas
'It is expected that the change to UKRI’s new bucket model, and the subsequent reopening of grant funds, will be in April 2027. Of course, this means that between now and then academics who would have bid for funding cannot'.
UKRI's funding changes explained
The latest on UKRI's great grant pause and changes at STFC
wonkhe.com
February 6, 2026 at 7:13 AM
"I hear you're a vetting expert now, Father!"
February 4, 2026 at 9:26 AM
BBC News - Two arrested over attempted sabotage of German naval vessels
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Two arrested over attempted sabotage of German naval vessels
Two port workers are accused of trying to damage military ships, including by dumping gravel into an engine.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 9:25 AM
Reposted by Dr. Dan Lomas
EXCLUSIVE: EU wants defence data secured without US tech
EXCLUSIVE: EU wants defence data secured without US tech
The European Defence Artificial Intelligence Data Space would allow EU countries to share sensitive defence data
dlvr.it
February 2, 2026 at 3:18 PM
February 3, 2026 at 6:29 PM
SOE's advice on disguising yourself as a student in 1944.

These days it'd be mullet, naff moustache and overly baggy trousers.
January 30, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by Dr. Dan Lomas
New post out:

"How MI6 works"

We interviewed Richard Moore the man who was "C" - Chief of MI6 - until September.

In part one we talked about MI6 operates - how does C work with the Prime Minister? Does he think there's a "deep state" etc...

(£/free trial)

open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/h...
How MI6 works
From 2020 until last September, Richard Moore was Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) also known as “C”.
open.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:51 AM
Reposted by Dr. Dan Lomas
Check out today's Metacurity to stay up-to-date on the critical infosec developments you should know, including

--The interim head of CISA uploaded sensitive documents to ChatGPT,
www.metacurity.com/the-interim-...
The interim head of CISA uploaded sensitive documents to ChatGPT
Koreans to be notified of possible data breaches, Operations at Russian security systems outfit were disrupted by a cyberattack, EU-India security deal omits hackers-for-hire, Threat actors exploit a ...
www.metacurity.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by Dr. Dan Lomas
Today is Argo Day.
January 28, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by Dr. Dan Lomas
On Tuesday 20 Jan, Dan Lomas @sandbaggerone.bsky.social joined Tony Livesey @bbc5live.bsky.social to discuss the UK's decision to approve China's plans for a mega embassy in London

🎧Listen back here ▶️ tinyurl.com/2x33tydt

ℹ️Info on Dan's research 🔗 nottingham.ac.uk/politics/people/daniel.lomas
Tony Livesey - 20/01/2026 - BBC Sounds
Tony Livesey with late night conversation and in-depth interviews.
tinyurl.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Murder and MI5: How an extraordinary battle erupted over what the state keeps secret

www.bbc.com/news/article...
Murder and MI5: the extraordinary battle over what stays secret
Can the state, especially when it is implicated in killing, be trusted as the arbiter of what should remain confidential?
www.bbc.com
January 26, 2026 at 7:52 AM
Finnish Military Intelligence Review 2026 has been published
puolustusvoimat.fi/en/-/finnish...
Finnish Military Intelligence Review 2026 has been published
puolustusvoimat.fi
January 25, 2026 at 8:44 PM
🎬 Watched the film "Number 24", a Netflix film on the wartime career of Norwegian resistance leader Gunnar Sønsteby. Excellent depiction of life under occupation in #WW2, the issue of collaboration/resistance and the wartime legacy - plus there's a Radiohead track, too.
January 25, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Future Fives Eyes conferences like
January 23, 2026 at 2:02 PM
More than 100 Britons suspected of spying for hostile states

www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/a...
More than 100 Britons suspected of spying for hostile states
Professionals are being recruited to plot sabotage and assassinations for Russia, Iran and China. Some don’t even know it
www.thetimes.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:44 AM
🎶 This academic stuff leads me to some interesting places ...
January 20, 2026 at 3:47 PM
New China mega-embassy ‘not without risk’, says MI5

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
New China mega-embassy ‘not without risk’, says MI5
Ministers have ruled that the diplomatic mission next to the Tower of London should go ahead in spite of widespread concerns
www.thetimes.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Harking back to a time when US-Danish relations aligned 😉
January 19, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Reposted by Dr. Dan Lomas
For many European governments, Donald Trump’s threat of punitive tariffs against anyone who tries to stop him taking Greenland was the final straw in their failing relationship with the U.S.

Divorce, they believe, is now inevitable.
Trump’s Greenland threats push Europe toward divorcing America
With NATO thrown into question, some officials see the “coalition of the willing” as the basis for a new alliance without the U.S. 
www.politico.eu
January 19, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Under Patel, F.B.I. Scours Its Records to Discredit Trump Opponents

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/u...
Under Patel, F.B.I. Scours Its Records to Discredit Trump Opponents
www.nytimes.com
January 19, 2026 at 9:14 AM