Anne Keast-Butler to be first female director at GCHQ

GCHQ has appointed its first female director, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has announced.

Anne Keast-Butler, who is currently serving as deputy director general at MI5, will take up the post running the intelligence service next month.

She will succeed Sir Jeremy Fleming who announced in January he would be stepping down after six years.

Mr Cleverly described Ms Keast-Butler as the "ideal candidate" who has "an impressive track record".

Ms Keast-Butler, who had previously worked for GCHQ as the head of counter-terrorism and serious organised crime, said she was "delighted" to become the organisation's 17th director.

Mr Cleverly referred to her previous work in serving the country's intelligence service when he said she had helped the UK to "counter threats posed by terrorists, cyber-criminals and malign foreign powers".

The recruitment process was chaired by Cabinet Secretary Simon Case and has been made in agreement with the prime minister.

The intelligence service's mission to keep the UK safe "is as inspiring today as it was when it was founded more than 100 years ago", Ms Keast-Butler said.