Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney walks out of 10 Downing Street after meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in London, Thursday, July 26, 2012. / AP Photo/Charles Dharapak 
 
 (CBS News) Mitt Romney gave an update Thursday on his meetings during the first day of his London trip, including some details that, apparently, are usually kept under wraps. 
 
 A meeting with Sir John Sawers, the head of Britain's MI6 intelligence agency, was not on Romney's public schedule and didn't come to light until he shared it with the world at a news conference Thursday. 
 
 (Watch Romney's comment in the video to the left.) 
 
 "I can only say that I appreciated the insights and perspectives of the leaders of the government here and opposition here as well as the head of MI6," he said following a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street. "[W]e discussed Syria and the hope for a more peaceful future for that country." 
 
 Interestingly, when asked for comment, Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which handles press for MI6, wouldn't acknowledge the meeting, "Sir John Sawers meets many people, but we don't give a running commentary on any of these private meetings." 
 
 The British press suggested that Romney slipped up by talking about the meeting, suggesting that intelligence-related meetings are usually not discussed publicly. When asked for reaction, a Romney senior policy official said he didn't have a reaction and that Romney's "said all he'll say on that." ||||| Mitt Romney made another gaffe on his London trip Thursday by acknowledging he met with the head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence agency, according to reports. 
 
 Romney’s meeting with MI6 head Sir John Sawers was not on the Republican’s public schedule — and Romney made a major blunder by revealing it, CBS News and The Guardian reported. 
 
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 (Also on POLITICO: No gold medal for Mitt from British press) 
 
 “I can only say that I appreciated the insights and perspectives of the leaders of the government here and opposition here as well as the head of MI6 as we discussed Syria and the hope for a more peaceful future for that country,” Romney told reporters at a press conference Thursday. 
 
 Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office told CBS News that “Sir John Sawers meets many people, but we don’t give a running commentary on any of these private meetings.” 
 
 (See also PHOTOS: Romney in UK) 
 
 As The Guardian pointed out, MI6 was not officially acknowledged until 1994. “For our American readership, this isn’t like bragging you just met David Petraeus. The British take on the national secret intelligence service comes with an extra-heavy dollop of the whole secret thing,” the Guardian’s Tom McCarthy wrote. ||||| LONDON -- After pointing yesterday to "disconcerting" events surrounding Great Britain's preparation for the Olympics, Mitt Romney this morning tempered his assessment of the country's readiness for the games. 
 
 
 
 In a joint appearance at Parliament with Labour leader Ed Miliband, Romney, who ran the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, said: “My experience with regards to the Olympics is it is impossible for absolutely no mistakes to occur. 
 
 
 
 "Of course there will be errors from time to time, but those are all overshadowed by the extraordinary demonstrations of courage, character and determination by the athletes," Romney continued, responding to a British reporter who asked about flaps here involving a shortfall of private security and mix-up of North and South Korean flags. "The games are, after all, about the athletes, the volunteers and the people of the community that come together to celebrate those athletes. They are not about the Organizing Committee. And as soon as the sporting events begin, we all forget the organizers and focus on the athletes.” 
 
 
 
 That's a markedly different tone than what Romney used yesterday in an interview here with NBC's Brian Williams, who asked the GOP presidential nominee if Great Britain was ready for the games. 
 
 
 
 "You know, it's hard to know just how well it will turn out," he said. "There are a few things that were disconcerting, the stories about the — private security firm not having enough people — the supposed strike of the immigration and customs officials, that obviously is not something which is encouraging." 
 
 
 
 Romney was alluding to a planned strike by British customs employees that was called off yesterday, a day ahead of when the potentially crippling walk-off was planned on what is expected to be Heathrow's busiest day ever. 
 
 
 
 The Republican did tell Williams that the games are "overwhelmingly" about the athletes, but his raising some of the potential problems here has created a stir in the London press. 
 
 
 
 While the interview aired too late for the newspapers, both the Times of London and the Daily Telegraph led their websites this morning with Romney's critique. 
 
 
 
 "Mitt Romney questions whether Britian is ready for the Games," read the Telegraph's online headline. 
 
 
 
 Romney's comments come as all things Olympics grip London and Britons attempt to put on their best face for the event. The opening ceremonies are tomorrow, but athletes and government officials from across the world have already descended on a city that is swaddled in purple and "postbox red," the colors of the games. 
 
 Read more about: Mitt Romney, Olympics
– I say there, old bean, that's not quite the way it's done. Mitt Romney put his foot in his mouth again across the pond. After irking the Brits with some comments about Olympic preparations yesterday, he also "blabbed" about a meeting with the head of British intelligence agency MI6. "Such conversations are not normally discussed publicly by government leaders," sniffed the Guardian. The meeting with Sir John Sawers was not on Romney's official schedule, and it was supposed to stay hush-hush, notes Politico. “I can only say that I appreciated the insights of the leaders of the government and opposition here, as well as the head of MI6, as we discussed Syria and the hope for a more peaceful future for that country,” Romney told reporters. A spokesman from Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office told CBS News that "Sir John Sawers meets many people, but we don’t give a running commentary on any of these private meetings."