| National Security Adviser | |
|---|---|
| |
Sir Tim Barrow since 14 September 2022 | |
| National Security Secretariat Cabinet Office | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| 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 |
| Formation | 2010 |
| 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, of whom two served more than three years in the post.[2]
The NSA is Secretary to the National Security Council, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, and head of National Security and Intelligence (National Security Secretariat), which is, in turn, part of the Cabinet Office.[3] The NSA will also advise Secretaries of State and other senior government ministers on issues of national security when necessary. The NSA was the Senior Responsible Officer for the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, with a budget of over £1 billion.[4] This role has been passed to the Deputy National Security Adviser.[5]
The first National Security Adviser (NSA) of the United Kingdom was Sir Peter Ricketts,[6] who was previously Permanent Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee. Ricketts was succeeded by Sir Kim Darroch in January 2012. On 7 July 2015, it was announced that Sir Mark Lyall Grant would replace Darroch as National Security Adviser in early September 2015.[7]
It was announced in June 2020 that Mark Sedwill will step down from his role as NSA in September, and that current chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, will serve as the NSA.[8] A FOI answer however, states that Frost continues as Chief Negotiator to the EU as of October 2020 and David Quarrey took over the role of acting NSA provisionally.[9]
The NSA is supported by at least two Deputy National Security Advisers, and serves at the pleasure of the Prime Minister. [10][11]
The National Security Adviser is the principal official adviser to the Prime Minister and Cabinet on national security matters. The responsibilities include:[12]
| # | Name | Term start | Term end | Term length | Prime Minister(s) served | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Peter Ricketts | 12 May 2010 | 23 January 2012 | 1 year and 257 days | David Cameron | |
| 2 | Sir Kim Darroch | 23 January 2012 | 7 September 2015 | 3 years and 228 days | ||
| 3 | Sir Mark Lyall Grant | 7 September 2015 | 13 April 2017 | 1 year and 219 days | ||
| Theresa May | [7] | |||||
| 4 | Sir Mark Sedwill | 13 April 2017 | 16 September 2020 | 3 years and 157 days | ||
| Boris Johnson | [13] | |||||
| – | David Quarrey (acting) | 17 September 2020 | 25 March 2021 | 190 days | [14] | |
| 5 | Sir Stephen Lovegrove | 24 March 2021 | 13 September 2022 | 1 year and 174 days | [15] | |
| 6 | Sir Tim Barrow | 14 September 2022 | Incumbent | 1 year and 303 days | Liz Truss | [16] |
| Rishi Sunak |
There can be more than one DNSA at one time; some DNSA's are given specific titles referring to their specific remit.
David Frost remains Chief Negotiator for the EU talks and those negotiations will remain his top single priority until they have concluded, one way or another. Therefore, the Prime Minister agreed that David Quarrey should become Acting NSA
Prime Minister's International Affairs Adviser and Deputy National Security Adviser David Quarrey CMG
Text was copied from this source, which is available under an Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.
