Secret files reveal decades of MI5 surveillance against NHS architect Nye Bevan

Aneurin “Nye” Bevan was monitored by MI5 for 27 years, including while he was creating the National Health Service, newly released records have revealed.

The security service began tracking the Labour politician in 1933 after intercepting correspondence in which Communist Party figures discussed working with Bevan and other members of the Labour left. His parliamentary activities, public appearances, overseas travel and meetings continued to attract attention until his death in 1960.

Bevan became health minister in 1945 and led the creation of the NHS, which opened in 1948. Despite holding one of the most senior positions in government, he remained under scrutiny because of his socialist politics, contact with communists and criticism of Winston Churchill’s wartime administration.

However, the files provide no evidence that Bevan worked for the Soviet Union or posed a security threat. They instead show that he became increasingly opposed to Stalinist communism and resisted repeated attempts by British communists to secure his support. Some MI5 officers also questioned whether monitoring an elected politician for views expressed publicly in Parliament was appropriate.

The 267 pages released by The National Archives show that surveillance continued far longer than previously understood. A later assessment described Bevan’s security file as notably uneventful considering his reputation as one of the most controversial political figures of his generation.

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