The Liberal Democrats leader said he was approached by MI6 while at Jesus College in Turl Street.

Sir Ed, who The Telegraph said was “more Benny Hill than James Bond” due to his election campaign stunts, received a tap on the shoulder but refused the offer.

Years ago, a simple tap on the shoulder was the clandestine way that MI6 chose to recruit before formal applications were brought it.

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MI5 and MI6 would often target students at Oxford or Cambridge with the tap in a bid to find a spy.

Among those who claim they were once tapped include Richard Osman at Cambridge and Roald Dhal who went on to work as an intelligence officer and spy for MI6.

Sir Ed told the Walking the Dog podcast that he declined the offer believing he would have made a “very bad spy”.

He said: “I applied for the Civil Service and they [MI6] sent me this letter out of the blue, saying there were some positions open in the Civil Service that weren’t open to competition and we’d like you to apply.

“I went and you had to tell them the inside leg measurement of your great aunt with all these sort of background checks.

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey before he tries his hand at hobby horsing during the launch (Image: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)

“And then I went to an interview. He said before we go any further I’d have to sign the Official Secrets Act, so I did.

“He said, you’ve probably guessed this is for the Secret Service and he told me what we’d do, how I’d learn to be a spy. You’d learn languages, all that sort of training.

“There’s a joke about ‘007 Davey’ but I don’t labour that point, I probably would be a very bad spy.”

He said the life of a spy “wasn’t attracting me” having said he “possibly” could tell his wife or girlfriend about being a spy.

“I like James Bond films and all that, but I realised it wasn’t like that,” the senior politician added.

Sir Ed was studying politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) at Jesus College in the late 1980s when he was approached.

In 2021, MI5 director general Ken McCallum said that “no one is chosen” for spy roles any more.

Instead, “everyone applies”, indicating that the traditional shoulder-tapping recruitment method is a thing of the past, The Telegraph reports.

St Antony’s, a graduate college in North Oxford, became notorious during the Cold War as a “spy college” for its focus on Soviet affairs and rumours of high levels of recruitment.

Nigella Lawson was also allegedly approached by MI5 following her graduation from Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford, but was warned against it by her dad.

Experts say the spike in sightings are due to the recent heatwave that has accelerated breeding in outdoor habitats.

When the temperature suddenly drops, booming spider populations invade their way indoors, squeezing through gaps around window frames, door seals and air bricks in search of warmth.

Luke Newnes, a garden expert at Hillarys, said: “A sustained hot spell is good news for false widows – warm conditions speed up breeding and push population numbers higher than normal.

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“The cool-down afterwards is what sends them inside.

“They are not aggressive and they are not hunting people out, but they will move through any gap they can find in a door threshold or window seal.

“The entry points are the thing to focus on, and most UK homes have not had those checked in years.”

Oxford University ecologist Clive Hambler, who has described the noble false widow as “the most dangerous spider currently breeding in Britain”, warned: “The days when you could just treat spiders as benign in Britain are over.”

Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust previously said: “Spiders live alongside us all year round and this is something to celebrate, not fear.

“These amazing animals are a vital part of our ecosystems, feeding on an astounding number of insects.

“Some spiders have found their perfect home in our houses, hiding away behind furniture and hunting the other invertebrates that find their way inside, from house flies to wasps and mosquitoes.

“They tend to keep themselves to themselves, preferring dark corners where they can live in peace.

“But in late summer and early autumn, some spiders become more active as males reach maturity and seek out a female to woo.”

Last July, Melia Harriss stepped up to be general manger of the Greene King pub College Oak in Peachcroft, Abingdon.

The pub, which generates around £624,000, is to become a new ‘Hive Pub’, a Greene King franchise designed for experienced pub managers.

The model allows them to run their own ready-to-trade business with low setup costs and comprehensive support.

Melia Harriss, new general manager of the College Oak, Abingdon (Image: Melia Harriss)

A Greene King spokeswoman said: “We have plans to refurbish the College Oak in Abingdon and turn it into a Hive Pub – one of our growing pub franchise concepts.

“As part of this, we are currently looking to recruit an experienced pub operator to run the College Oak as a franchisee and actively encourage those interested to apply.

“The pub remains open and trading as usual, ready to welcome customers in to enjoy the summer of sport.”

An advert published by Green King says the successful operator will sign a five-year contract with the pub.

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It says the operator will earn a guaranteed income of £20,000 per annum (paid at £385 per week), plus a percentage of net food and drink sales.

Opportunities for up to £7,500 in bonus per year are also possible if the business is successful.

Earnings are uncapped and can increase or decrease dependent on franchisee performance, Greene King added.

In addition, there is an entry cost of £5,000, including legal fees and training costs, which is payable on change day.

An extra £3,000 will be required as working capital, to ensure there is sufficient cash flow in the business before Greene King makes its first payment.

Ms Harriss took on the College Oak as general manager at the beginning of July, enjoying a highly successful first summer in the role.

But she is no stranger in the pub trade as her father has been a general manager of a pub in Abingdon his whole life, the Roaring Raindrop (previously known as The Midget).

Miss Harriss has worked in various venues in Wallingford and Buckinghamshire, and was offered her first general manager role at the age of 20.

Greene King said she is free to apply for the operator role once it becomes a Hive pub.

The pub has changed hands more than once since previous managers Eddie and Carol retired and moved away.

The College Oak pub is in Peachcroft Road and is open from 11.30am until 11pm Monday to Thursday, until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and until 10.30pm on a Sunday.

Greene King has been asked if Miss Harriss will remain at the pub.