I am a simple soul, and like simple explanations. I suspect the Telegraph simply made this up. If it is a sinister underground campaign by the intelligence services, we should be very frightened at how inept they are.
Of course we all know how it works. Tabloids pick it up as full page headlines for a few days. It is shown to be cobblers. Maybe a retraction is published later, hidden - 4 Across We made it all up (4,3,11). The headlines are what stick in the memory.
Papers lie. At best they publish what they want to be true. At worst they merely invent things their readers will believe. The next few weeks are going to break all records for smearage. My advice for anyone with any regard for their blood pressure is to avoid all print media. They are not there to inform, but to misinform.
Just newspapers publishing what their local readers want to read.(to sell copies and make a profit). Or as I believe Mark Twain said:
"Never let the facts get in the way of a good story"