Spies, secrets, and a broken promise: How Trump’s FBI boss let down MI5

London: At a secret gathering in May south of London, the head of Britain’s domestic security service asked Kash Patel, the FBI director, for help. British security officials rely on the bureau for high-tech surveillance tools – the kind they might need to monitor a new embassy that China wants to build near the Tower of London. The head of MI5, Ken McCallum, asked Patel to protect the job of an FBI agent based in London who dealt with that technology, according to several current and former US officials with knowledge of the episode. Patel agreed to find funding to keep the posting, the officials said. But the job had already been slated to disappear as the White House moved to slash the FBI budget. The agent moved to a different job back in the United States, saving the FBI money but leaving MI5 officials incredulous. It was a jarring introduction to Patel’s leadership style for British officials. They had long forged personal ties with their US counterparts, as well as with three other close allies, including Australia, in an intelligence partnership known as the Five Eyes.