National Security Adviser (United Kingdom)

The National Security Adviser (NSA) is a senior official in the Cabinet Office, based in Whitehall, who serves as the principle 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 five holders of the office to date, of whom two served more than three years in the post.[2]


National Security Adviser
Incumbent
David Quarrey (Acting)
since 17 September 2020
Cabinet Office
National Security Staff
Reports toPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
Secretary of Defence
AppointerPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
Formation2010
First holderSir Peter Ricketts
DeputyDeputy National Security Adviser (DNSA)

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] It was announced in January 2021 that Sir Stephen Lovegrove would become National Security Adviser at the end of March 2021.[10]

The NSA is supported by at least two Deputy National Security Advisers, and serves at the pleasure of the Prime Minister. [11][12]

List of National Security Advisers
# Name Term start Term end Term length Prime Minister(s) served Ref
1 Lord Ricketts 12 May 2010 23 January 2012 1 year and 257 days David Cameron
2 Lord 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
4 Lord Sedwill 13 April 2017 16 September 2020 3 years and 157 days
Boris Johnson
David Quarrey (acting) 17 September 2020 30 April 2021 226 days [13]
5 Sir Stephen Lovegrove 1 April 2021 −52 days [10]

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. Conflict, Stability and Security Fund: Annual Report 2016/17 (PDF) (Report). gov.uk. July 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  5. Conflict, Stability and Security Fund: Annual Report 2017/18 (PDF) (Report). gov.uk. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  6. "Cabinet Office Structure Charts, page 12" (PDF). Cabinet Office HM Government. May 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  7. "National Security Adviser appointment: Sir Mark Lyall-Grant". Cabinet Office HM Government. July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  8. "UK's top civil servant announces exit". BBC News. 2020-06-28. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  9. "Deputy National Security Advisers" (PDF). whatdotheyknow.com. Whatdotheyknow. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020. 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
  10. "International Affairs Appointments in No.10 and Cabinet Office". Cabinet office. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  11. "David Quarrey". gov.uk. gov.uk. 11 December 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019. Prime Minister’s International Affairs Adviser and Deputy National Security Adviser David Quarrey CMG
  12. "Sir Mark Sedwill: UK's top civil servant steps down" (PDF). bbc.co.uk. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  13. "Appointment of Prime Minister's National Security Adviser". Cabinet Office. 28 June 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
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