3. Why have these claims emerged now?
Most the allegations have been made before in some form, only to fall apart when scrutinised. These include that Snowden was a Chinese spy and, when he ended up in Moscow, that he was a Russian spy or at least cooperating with them. The US claimed 56 plots had been disrupted as a result of surveillance but, after being pressed, acknowledged this was untrue.

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The claim about agents being moved was first made 18 months ago in the UK, along with allegations that Snowden had helped terrorists evade surveillance and, as a result, he had blood on his hands. Both the US and UK have since acknowledged no one has been harmed.

So why now? One explanation is that it is partly in response to Thursday’s publication of David Anderson’s 373-page report into surveillance. The QC was asked by David Cameron to provide an independent review and there is much in it for the government and intelligence services to like, primarily about retaining bulk data collection. But Anderson is scathing about the existing legal framework for surveillance, describing it as intolerable and undemocratic, and has proposed approval for surveillance warrants be transferred from the foreign and home secretaries to the judiciary.