National Security Adviser (United Kingdom)

Last updated
National Security Adviser
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Incumbent
Jonathan Powell
since 2 December 2024
National Security Secretariat
Cabinet Office
Reports to Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Nominator Prime Minister
Appointer The King
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length At His Majesty's pleasure
Formation2010
First holder Sir Peter Ricketts
Deputy Deputy National Security Adviser (DNSA)

The National Security Adviser (NSA) is a senior official in the Cabinet Office, based in Whitehall, who serves as the principal adviser to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Cabinet of the United Kingdom on all national security issues. The NSA post was created in May 2010 as part of the reforms that also saw the creation of the National Security Council. [1] There have been six holders of the office to date, two of whom served more than three years in the post. [2] Until 2024, the NSA acted as Secretary to the National Security Council, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, and head of the National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office. [3] Each National Security Adviser has been supported by at least two Deputy National Security Advisers.

Contents

Responsibilities

The National Security Adviser is the principal official adviser to the Prime Minister and Cabinet on national security matters. These responsibilities have included: [4]

List of national security advisers

#NameTerm startTerm endTerm lengthPrime Minister(s) servedPartyRef
1 Sir Peter Ricketts 12 May 201023 January 20121 year and 257 days David Cameron Conservative
2 Sir Kim Darroch 23 January 20127 September 20153 years and 228 days
3 Sir Mark Lyall Grant 7 September 201513 April 20171 year and 219 days
Theresa May [5]
4 Sir Mark Sedwill 13 April 201716 September 20203 years and 157 days
Boris Johnson [6]
– David Quarrey (acting)17 September 202025 March 2021190 days [7]
5 Sir Stephen Lovegrove 24 March 202113 September 20221 year and 174 days [8]
6 Sir Tim Barrow 14 September 202229 November 20242 years and 220 days Liz Truss [9]
Rishi Sunak
Keir Starmer Labour
7 Jonathan Powell 2 December 2024Incumbent141 days [10]

List of deputy national security advisers

Since the creation of the position of National Security Adviser, there have always been at least two deputy national security advisers.

  1. Julian Miller (2010–2015)
  2. Olly Robbins (2010–2014)
  3. Hugh Powell (2013–2016)
  4. Paddy McGuinness (2014–2018) (Intelligence, Security and Resilience)
  5. Gwyn Jenkins (2015–2017) (Conflict, Stability and Defence)
  6. Christian Turner (2017–2019) (International Affairs)
  7. Richard Moore (2018) (Intelligence, Security and Resilience)
  8. Madeleine Alessandri (2018–2020) (National Resilience and Security)
  9. David Quarrey (2019–2022) (International Affairs)
  10. Beth Sizeland (2020–2021) (National Resilience and Security)
  11. Alex Ellis (2020–2021) (Integrated Review on diplomacy, development and defence)
  12. Andrew McCosh (2021–2022) (Technology)
  13. Sarah MacIntosh (2022–2024) (Foreign Affairs)

References

  1. ↑ Joe Devanny and Josh Harris (4 November 2014). "The National Security Council: national security at the centre of government". Institute for Government/King's College London.
  2. ↑ Joe Devanny (3 March 2017). "Why the UK needs a better process for appointing national security advisers". Civil Service World.
  3. ↑ "About - National security and intelligence". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
  4. ↑ "Sir Tim Barrow GCMG LVO MBE". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2023-06-25. UKOpenGovernmentLicence.svg Text was copied from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
  5. ↑ "National Security Adviser appointment: Sir Mark Lyall-Grant". 7 July 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
  6. ↑ "Mark Sedwill appointed as National Security Adviser". Home Office. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  7. ↑ "Appointment of Prime Minister's National Security Adviser". Cabinet Office. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Appointment of Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Defence". gov.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "Sir Tim Barrow appointed as National Security Adviser". gov.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  10. ↑ "Appointment of Jonathan Powell as National Security Adviser". gov.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
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