MI5 has launched a recruitment drive for "overweight" spies.

MI5's new spies will not look like James Bond

MI5's new spies will not look like James Bond

Security chiefs are looking for surveillance officers to work on the streets of London and applicants can have a body mass index (BMI) of up to 30, even though it is regarded as "overweight" by the NHS.

MI5 insists that the new spooks only need to have a "reasonable" level of fitness, a far cry from the athleticism of James Bond.

An advertisement said: "Mobile Surveillance Officers follow subjects who have been identified by Intelligence Officers as potential threats to national security.

"You can be on the move all day, often following people under surveillance on foot, so you'll need a reasonable level of health and fitness to allow you to do this.

"Candidates will be required to undertake and pass a Fitness for Role medical which includes having a body mass index of 30 or less."


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