The Keepers of the Persian Gate by Sydney Maurice

that would bring in reform and oversight of the various clandestine services operating in the UK. One way the Act hoped to achieve this was by significantly expanding the scope of Parliament’s ability to scrutinise MI5, MI6, GCHQ, and the Joint Intelligence Committee which advised the Cabinet and the Prime Minister. Parliament currently had a Select Committee which conducted oversight of all these agencies. However, its powers were very limited.
    That was all about to change with the new Act. The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) would be given its own secretariat, independent of government and would be allowed to appoint its own investigators. In addition to a permanent Legal Counsel which would sit on the routine meetings of the committee, there would also be a Legal Investigator. Effectively, the committee would appoint its own intelligence team to spy on the spies. Both of the legal roles were being put out to tender, albeit in a restricted capacity with a limited number of firms being invited to tender. The winning firm or firms would then provide a nominated individual to fill each role for the ISC.
    “We are in a very unique position. I have it on good authority that all our traditional competitors for these roles are conflicted because they already advise the security services. The only other firms left to compete with are international and I’m hopeful that this may present concerns to the evaluation panel for security reasons. Dunlop & McLaine are completely home grown, and we have a history as well as an intimate knowledge of the very agencies which they are seeking to scrutinise. When this new legislation comes in, ISC will effectively become the big player in UK intelligence and it’s a chance for this firm to rightfully reclaim its position as the leader in this specialist field of law,” explained Will.
    “That’s absolutely fascinating, Will. Where do you see me fitting in?” asked Paddy.
    “Well, here’s the thing. Your background is in intelligence operations. Therefore, your operational experience, combined with your experience in international law, makes you an ideal candidate to formulate our bid.”
    Dunlop & McLaine needed someone to bring a fresh approach to the whole process. Plus, in preparing the bid, Paddy would get a chance have to look at all of the past bids Dunlop & McLaine had submitted to other agencies. In doing so, he would get to learn about all about all of the various different types of work Dunlop & McLaine had carried out over the years. He would probably also get to meet plenty of new faces within the firm, which would help with his induction.
    “Finally, as you know, time is a commodity in the law, and, no offence, yours is cheaper than the rest of our’s, being a trainee,” joked Will.
    “I’d be delighted to help,” replied Paddy.
    “Great. I’ll provide you with some documents now so you can take them home and have a read through. I would ask that you try not to lose these. If you do, we’ll probably lose our right to bid, and as you can imagine that wouldn’t make me very happy with you,” said Will.
    Dunlop asked Paddy to return to him in the following morning with some thoughts on an approach. “In the meantime, you’ll have a lot to attend to today, what with finding accommodation and all the rest. So once I’ve shown you around downstairs, if you’re happy we’ll call it a day after that.” said Will.
    “Thank you very much, Will, that’s much appreciated,” replied Paddy.
    “No problem. Here, take this.” William handed Paddy a distinctive green USB memory stick, along with a hard copy green folder. “You’ll see there’s some sort of overly complex colour coding system for files in this office. Green concerns government tenders, apparently! I try not to fuss myself too much with it. Anyway, in there you’ll find the official letter issued and signed by the Chairman of the Committee inviting us to tender. You’ll see