The Rt Hon Dr Kim Howells will share his views on 'Intelligence, Security and Accountability' during a free public lecture at Anglia Ruskin University's Cambridge campus on Wednesday, 30 November.

Dr Howells, one of Anglia Ruskin's most distinguished alumni, was Labour MP for Pontypridd from 1989 until his retirement from politics last year. After holding a succession of ministerial offices in Tony Blair's government, in May 2005 he became Minister for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Counter Terrorism at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

In October 2008, Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed him Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, overseeing MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.

Dr Howells has a reputation for speaking his mind. He was the first government minister to condemn from the Dispatch Box of the House of Commons the use of the Guantanamo Bay prison and the interrogation techniques allegedly employed there after the terrorist atrocities of 9/11.

During one of many interviews from war-torn Iraq, he described the country post Saddam as a 'mess' but the kind of mess that is no longer capable of invading its neighbours or of slaughtering thousands of Kurds and Marsh Arabs.

As early as 2005 Dr Howells warned of the deadly potential dangers that awaited British troops before they deployed south to Helmand Province in Afghanistan and his visits to Pakistan had convinced him that Islamabad was infinitely more concerned with confronting India than with helping in the battle to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Visiting Lebanon and northern Israel as bombs and rockets fell at the height of the 2006 war, he warned Israel that it would reap a bitter harvest if, in its bombing campaign, it did not respond proportionately to the cynical rocket attacks by the Iranian and Syrian-backed Hizbollah. His warnings were completely at odds with the official line of the British government and its NATO allies.

In calling publicly in 2008 for the withdrawal of British forces from Afghanistan - 'British lives should not continue to be sacrificed protecting a corrupt regime in Kabul' - he drew the wrath of Prime Minister Gordon Brown. For the next 18 months, until he retired in May 2010, Dr Howells fought to protect the independence of the Intelligence and Security Committee which he chaired.

The evening begins with a drinks reception at 6.30pm, followed by Dr Howells' talk on 'Intelligence, Security and Accountability' and then a question and answer session. To reserve a place, please phone 0845 196 4727.