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An MI5 agent has resigned after his prostitute wife engineered the tabloid sting that exposed Max Mosley, the head of motor racing, for taking part in a sado-masochistic orgy. The disclosure is deeply embarrassing for Britain's security service and has forced a review of vetting. The man was a surveillance operative with several years of service. His wife, 38, is believed to have approached the News of the World when she realised that Mr Mosley – a regular client – had booked five prostitutes for a sex session costing £2,500.

It is understood that Jonathan Evans, the director general of MI5, has informed Gordon Brown and Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, that one of his agents was caught up in the sting. Mr Evans gave a categorical assurance that MI5 was not involved and Whitehall officials insist that, because Mr Mosley did not represent a security threat, he would not have been the subject of a covert operation. The agent, who is in his 40s, is understood to have served in the military before joining MI5. He had responsibility for watching al-Qa'eda suspects, Russian spies, crime bosses and drug lords.
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It is understood that he resigned on being confronted with evidence of his wife's involvement in the affair. The Telegraph is not naming him on security grounds. His wife is believed to have been paid tens of thousands of pounds by the News of the World for her story and used the newspaper's surveillance equipment. The couple married last year........Insiders at the News of the World have suggested that it was nothing more than a coincidence that their source for the story was married to an agent and deny that he played any role in the sting.

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