A Welsh Labour politician who played a key role in establishing the UK’s National Health Service was secretly tracked by British intelligence agencies for over two decades, newly released government files reveal. Surveillance began in the 1930s due to his associations with communist figures, with monitoring persisting even after he entered the postwar Labour government. Despite the prolonged scrutiny, his personal file is described as unusually unremarkable, according to the National Archives. The documents raise questions about why a prominent political figure remained under observation long after initial concerns emerged.
Some in UK’s security services questioned why Welsh Labour firebrand was of interestAneurin “Nye” Bevan, the Welsh Labour firebrand who spearheaded the creation of the NHS, was monitored by security services for more than two decades, though his personal file was “remarkably tame”, according to official files released to the public.Bevan came to MI5’s attention in the 1930s over concerns about his links with known communists, papers released to the National Archives show. Monitoring continued even after he became a minister in the postwar Labour government that created the NHS. Continue reading...
