THE front-runner to be MI6’s new chief is Tory grandee’s son Tom Hurd, The Sun can reveal.
Home Office security boss Mr Hurd, whose dad Sir Douglas was Foreign Secretary, leads the race to replace Sir Alex Younger as the next “C”.
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The recruitment process is not expected to begin until next month but jockeying behind the scenes for the most prized job in spying is already well under way.
Oxford-educated Mr Hurd, once named on a list of alleged spies online, runs the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism.
The dad of five, whose brother Nick is a Tory MP, is the choice of several Cabinet ministers and is “well-liked” by the PM.
He has three main rivals including Foreign Office political director Richard Moore and deputy national security adviser Madeleine Alessandri.
She would be the foreign spy service’s first female chief. The third is a senior MI6 director.
A Government source said: “Tom Hurd is the clear favourite.
“He’s well liked by the PM downwards, and an extremely capable and calm pair of hands.”
Sir Alex was due to step down next month but was persuaded to stay on to handle a string of international crises.
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