Britain routinely spies on her own European partners, including France and Germany, a former top intelligence officer claims.

The officer, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told Michael Cockerell, the creator of a new BBC TV documentary: "Of course, we are all spying on each other.

"Belt and braces"

"You need belt and braces, collateral on collateral. It would be as vital to know where your European partners are coming from, as it was to know the order of battle of Soviet forces during the Cold War."

The documentary, How to be Foreign Secretary, is to be shown in Britain on Sunday.

Spy network

During the programme, the Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, and several of his predecessors refused to deny suggestions that Britain operates a spy network in western Europe.

Robin Cook ... unwilling to comment

When Mr Cook was asked whether Britain conducted espionage activities against her European partners, he replied: "No I'm sorry. I can't talk about that because it is all secret information. We never discuss that."

Douglas Hurd, now Lord Hurd, who was Foreign Secretary under the previous Conservative government for nearly six years, was equally reticent.

He told the film-makers: "I don't want to go into that. That's operational. I can't, can't get into that."

Lord Hurd said: "Intelligence reports are on some occasions valuable and on some occasions crucial. They supply just some part in the jigsaw of other people's intentions that you want to know."

"Dereliction of duty"

Lord Renwick, the former British Ambassador to Washington, was adamant the French would not spy on Britain.

But he hinted that Britain did spy on other European countries and added: "It would be a dereliction of duty if we did not try to get as much reasonable intelligence about whoever we are negotiating with. And our intentions, generally speaking, are extremely honourable."

Lord Owen, who was Foreign Secretary from 1977 to 1979, said he was opposed to the idea of spying on Britain's European partners.

He says in the film that he received intelligence on European partners when in the job but disagreed with spying on allies on principle.

Working relationship

A spokeswoman for the German Embassy in London, Marget Hellwig, said they did not spy on Britain and she said she would be surprised if MI6 spied on Germany.

She pointed out Britain and Germany have a working relationship and an exchange programme in which Foreign Office staff work in Bonn and German staff come over to sit in on FO discussions at Whitehall.

"What's the point of spying when you already have people who know what's going on ?"

Ms Hellwig suggested the documentary was out of date and said: "Circumstances may have been different during the Cold War, when every European country had different attitudes to the Russians, but nowadays that is not the case."

A French Embassy spokesman, Charles Fries, told BBC News Online on Friday: "I know this progamme is going to be broadcast but I cannot comment on British practice or French attitudes towards Britain."

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