Jonathan Powell, the former chief of staff to Tony Blair, has been appointed as Keir Starmer’s national security adviser in a further sign that leading figures from the New Labour era are returning to the government. The veteran former diplomat, who played a significant role in the Northern Ireland peace deal struck in 1998 and served Blair for a decade, will be responsible for advising on the UK’s approach to the war in Ukraine and the international implications of Donald Trump’s presidency. Since leaving office, Powell has been a prominent advocate of negotiating with enemies to bring about peace, writing a book called Talking to Terrorists.
Powell led discussions on the status of the Chagos Islands for the UK government in September, but his appointment as national security adviser will put him at the heart of Downing Street. While previous national security advisers have been senior civil servants, Powell is returning as a special adviser to bring a more political edge to the job. Liz Lloyd, the former deputy chief of staff under Blair, is also making a comeback, joining Starmer’s team as director of policy delivery and innovation. Other prominent former Blairites in Starmer’s government include Pat McFadden, who is chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster; Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary; Alan Milburn, who is unofficially advising the Department of Health and Social Care; and Jacqui Smith, a skills minister.
Powell is widely considered a Blairite, having been close to the former prime minister and the only senior adviser to survive at the top of government through Blair’s decade in power. The job of national security adviser has been held by Tim Barrow since 2022. He was due to be replaced by a senior military figure, Gen Gwyn Jenkins, but Starmer cancelled that appointment and the process was subsequently rerun. The Conservatives said it was “disappointing the government have appointed another Labour apparatchik to a senior role sidelining an experienced general”. A No 10 source said: “In his first four months in office, the prime minister has engaged extensively with international leaders at a wide range of summits and events and worked very closely with our allies and partners. This deep collaboration has made clear to him that in the difficult global context the UK now faces, international relations and national security are ever more deeply linked to the political choices that the government faces in its economic and domestic policy. “In these circumstances, a deeply experienced national security adviser who is able to engage with the full range of these issues, both political and policy, will be able to provide the best advice to the prime minister on the challenges we face and the opportunities that we can take.” Another Whitehall source said the Conservatives appeared to have forgotten that they tried to appoint the Tory adviser and Brexit negotiator David Frost to the role of national security adviser under Boris Johnson – without any of the expertise in the subject matter as Powell. Powell is the chief executive of Inter Mediate, a UK-based charity working on resolving international conflicts. After the appointment, Starmer said: “Jonathan has devoted his career to protecting the interests of the country, having served for 17 years as a diplomat in the Foreign Office and 10 years as chief of staff in No 10, and I am delighted to appoint him to this important role. “Together with his experience helping to negotiate the Belfast [Good Friday] agreement and work on some of the world’s most complex conflicts, he is uniquely qualified to advise the government on tackling the challenges ahead and engage with counterparts across the globe to protect and advance UK interests.” Powell said he was honoured to take up the job “at a time where national security, international relations and domestic policies are so interconnected”. He said: “As the prime minister has set out, national security is at the heart of this country’s response to the many challenges we face, and having an integrated response will be crucial to our success. I look forward to advising the prime minister and working closely with ministers and officials in this new role.” At a cabinet meeting, Starmer told his government he wanted to be “known for gamechanging innovation and reform”. The founder of the AI firm DeepMind, Demis Hassabis, and the science minister Patrick Vallance joined the meeting. Starmer also said No 10 would be organised around two pillars: policy delivery and innovation and national and international security.