“Is that a squirrel holding a lightsaber?”

This is a question, it is fair to say, that I never expected to ask, let alone while sitting inside the MI5 building.

The squirrel in question is not engaged in combat on a windowsill of Thames House, the imposing headquarters of the Security Service, but pictured on a large ornament on a coffee table in front of me.

Anthony Finkelstein, the outgoing chief scientific adviser for national security, responds by explaining that other intelligence teams have their own logo and his team came up with their own as a playful response.

It is, of course, a secret squirrel and one that has learned to wield the latest technology. And for the last half a decade, that has been Prof Finkelstein’s task. He is speaking exclusively to the BBC in his final days before leaving the role this month. Prof Finkelstein has been working with front-line spies to ensure the UK retains its edge by employing the latest technology in pursuit of its secret missions.

And much is at stake, he argues.

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