Starmer appoints senior Blair-era aide Powell as National Security Adviser

The seasoned diplomat precocious played a large relation successful talks implicit the Chagos Islands sovereignty dispute, which earlier this twelvemonth saw Britain manus the territory implicit to Mauritius.

He volition instrumentality implicit from Sir Tim Barrow successful the presumption based successful Number 10 aft serving for 17 years successful the Foreign Office and a decennary successful Downing Street.

The Prime Minister said Mr Powell’s acquisition successful helping to broker a bid woody successful Northern Ireland and moving connected “some of the world’s astir analyzable conflicts” meant helium was “uniquely qualified” to counsel the Government connected planetary challenges.

He volition beryllium expected to play a cardinal relation successful forging links with Donald Trump’s caller US administration, arsenic good arsenic helping to signifier the UK’s effect to conflicts successful Ukraine and the Middle East.

The PA quality bureau understands Mr Powell has been appointed arsenic a peculiar advisor successful a governmental capableness – a interruption from the norm that saw erstwhile post-holders taken connected arsenic civilian servants.

He is main enforcement of Inter Mediate, a UK-based foundation moving connected resolving planetary conflicts.

Mr Powell’s tenure arsenic 1 of Sir Tony’s closest confidantes, betwixt 1997 to 2007, came nether aggravated scrutiny during the Hutton Inquiry into the decease of idiosyncratic David Kelly.

He recovered himself successful the media spotlight aft the revelation that helium had asked a information main to alteration parts of the celebrated Iraq weapons dossier due to the fact that immoderate of the connection posed “a spot of a problem” for Downing Street.

He is uniquely qualified to counsel the Government connected tackling the challenges up and prosecute with counterparts crossed the globe to support and beforehand UK interests

Sir Keir Starmer

His instrumentality to Number 10 is portion of a wider shake-up nether the caller Labour medication that has seen erstwhile Blair-era figures brought backmost into the bosom of government.

Last period Claire Reynolds, a erstwhile adjutant to Sir Tony and Gordon Brown, was appointed Sir Keir’s governmental director, and respective elder ministers besides served cardinal roles during some the New Labour premierships.

“Jonathan has devoted his vocation to protecting the interests of the country,” the Prime Minister said aft the appointment.

“Together with his acquisition helping to negociate the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and enactment connected immoderate of the world’s astir analyzable conflicts, helium is uniquely qualified to counsel the Government connected tackling the challenges up and prosecute with counterparts crossed the globe to support and beforehand UK interests.”

Thanking Sir Tim for his work during “some of the astir challenging times successful caller history”, the Prime Minister added: “I’ve nary uncertainty helium volition proceed to play a affirmative relation connected these issues successful the future.”

There had been speculation nether the erstwhile Tory authorities that Sir Tim would determination connected to regenerate Dame Karen Pierce arsenic Britain’s ambassador to the US, but she is expected to stay successful post.

National information is astatine the bosom of this country’s effect to the galore challenges we look and having an integrated effect volition beryllium important to our success

Jonathan Powell

Mr Powell said: “I americium honoured to person been appointed arsenic the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the Prime Minister. This is simply a hugely important relation astatine a clip wherever nationalist security, planetary relations and home policies are truthful interconnected.

“As the Prime Minister has acceptable out, nationalist information is astatine the bosom of this country’s effect to the galore challenges we look and having an integrated effect volition beryllium important to our success. I look guardant to advising the Prime Minister and moving intimately with ministers and officials successful this caller role.”

Despite Mr Powell’s experience, the determination to marque a governmental assignment to the presumption of NSA is antithetic and has already travel nether occurrence from absorption critics.

Paymaster wide Nick Thomas-Symonds questioned Boris Johnson’s information of his state Lord Frost for the relation successful 2020, connected the grounds that the post-holder should beryllium “independent, impartial (and) specialist”.

“That is wherefore making a governmental assignment takes this Government into specified unsafe territory,” Mr Thomas-Symonds, then-shadow location secretary, said astatine the time.

The Tories criticised the drafting successful of “another Labour apparatchik” and highlighted past remarks made by Mr Powell relating to the Chagos Islands.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “It’s disappointing the Government person appointed different Labour apparatchik to a elder role, sidelining an experienced general.

“Mr Powell’s erstwhile comments astir the unimportance of British overseas territories are highly concerning and galore volition beryllium disquieted that determination is much to come.”

After the announcement of the British-Mauritian deal, nether which the UK volition clasp jurisdiction of a strategically important aerial basal connected the land of Diego Garcia, Mr Powell dismissed concerns astir relinquishing power of the archipelago.

He told Times Radio: “I don’t deliberation we should beryllium excessively disquieted astir losing that spot of territory. We’re astir apt losing much to tidal erosion successful the East Coast (of England) than that.”

He besides highlighted that negotiations implicit the territory had started nether the Conservatives, including James Cleverly who helium said had “enthusiastically” engaged with the process arsenic overseas caput contempt criticising the woody past month.