Libya-born Moore succeeds Sir Alex Younger, who will relinquish duties as head of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in the autumn. The 57-year-old will also be known as ‘C’ – a role made famous in the James Bond movies.

Moore’s current role is Director General for Political Affairs in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), a position he has held since April 2018. He has previously worked in other director roles in the SIS and has been Deputy National Security Adviser in the UK Cabinet Office.

Educated at Oxford University with postgraduate study at Harvard University in the US, Moore has also served as British ambassador to Turkey, between 2014 and 2017. Moore's interests reportedly include scuba-diving, hiking, golf, Turkish carpets and porcelain, as well as visiting historical sites.