The Skripal effect...

THE nerve agent attack on a Russian double-agent in Salisbury has sparked a surge in job applications, MI6 said yesterday.

The agency revealed that ‘more highly motivated candidates’ had come forward in the wake of the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in March. MI6’s head of recruitment, who cannot be identified, said the boost was predictable because of the extra publicity from the incident. ‘When we are in the public domain that raises our profile so inevitably that becomes an opportunity,’ she added.

Miss Skripal, 33, broke her silence on Wednesday to tell of her shock at the assassination attempt that left her fighting for life.