Security News > 2020 > November > NCSC's London HQ was chosen because GCHQ spies panicked at the prospect of grubby Shoreditch offices

The National Cyber Security Centre picked its London HQ building not because it was the best or most cost-efficient location - but because the agency "Prioritised image over cost", a Parliamentary committee has said.

NCSC's HQ in the English capital's Nova South development, a glitzy commercial building near Westminster, was procured in breach of GCHQ's own rules on leasing commercial buildings.

Rather than picking "a 'tech hub' such as Shoreditch", as recommended by their own consultants, NCSC's founders threw their teddies out of the pram until they got an HQ in the altogether more refined location of Westminster.

Even though GCHQ had commissioned property consultants to scout out London's available commercial buildings, NCSC's founders knew where they wanted to set up shop - and when their consultants gave the wrong answer, the spies started moving the goalposts and calling in ministerial favours.

Stung by the ISC criticism, NCSC wheeled out current Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who made a statement to Parliament yesterday saying: "As the public-facing part of GCHQ and the UK's lead technical authority on cyber security, the NCSC required a workspace which balanced the need for accessibility and operational capability to defend the UK against cyber threats effectively."

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2020/11/20/ncsc_nova_south_hq_isc_report/