Snowden, MI5 and me: how the leak of the century came to be published

Following Snowden’s revelations, assumptions about the laws, regulations and scrutinising bodies that oversee intelligence work were looked at anew – and found to be in need of change. Illustration: Guardian Design

The phone call came at an unfortunate moment.

It was late May 2013, early evening, during a leaving drink for a colleague in a busy bar in London. At the time, I was defence and security editor, which made me the point person for contact with the UK’s intelligence agencies.