The National Security Council is a
United Kingdom cabinet committee
The British government is directed by the Cabinet, a group of senior government ministers led by the Prime Minister. Most of the day-to-day work of the Cabinet is carried out by Cabinet committees, rather than by the full Cabinet. Each committee ...
. The Council's terms of reference was said in September 2022 to consider matters relating to national security, foreign policy, defence, trade, international relations, development, resilience and resource security.
History
The then National Security Council was established on 12 May 2010 by Prime Minister
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
.
The NSC formalised national security decision making, which had previously been carried out in informal groups largely composed of officials.
It increased the
power of the Prime Minister, who chairs the council, and brought senior Cabinet ministers into national security policy making, giving them access to the highest levels of intelligence.
It coordinates responses to threats faced by the United Kingdom and integrates at the highest level the work of relevant government entities with respect to national security. The council reflected the central coordination of national security issues seen in the
Committee of Imperial Defence
The Committee of Imperial Defence was an important ''ad hoc'' part of the Government of the United Kingdom and the British Empire from just after the Second Boer War until the start of the Second World War. It was responsible for research, and som ...
, which operated from 1902 until 1947, while also being partly modelled on the
United States National Security Council
The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for consideration of national security, military, and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House, it is part of the Execu ...
.
The first
National Security Adviser A national security advisor serves as the chief advisor to a national government on matters of security. The advisor is not usually a member of the government's cabinet but is usually a member of various military or security councils.
National sec ...
(NSA) was also appointed on 12 May 2010.
They act as the council's secretary.The incumbent NSA is
Sir Tim Barrow.
From 1 April 2015 the council oversaw the newly created
Conflict, Stability and Security Fund
The British Government created the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) on 1 April 2015, replacing the previous Conflict (Prevention) Pool. It is a pool of money, over £1 billion per year, for tackling conflict and instability overseas. R ...
, a fund of more than £1 billion per year for tackling conflict and instability abroad.
Following a critical inquiry into the fund by the
Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy
The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS) is a joint committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, formed to "monitor the implementation and development" of the United Kingdom Government's National Security Strategy". It ...
in 2016,
[ where the committee stated that the fund was secretive and "There is a risk that the CSSF is being used as a 'slush fund' ]or projects that do not
Or or OR may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* "O.R.", a 1974 episode of List of M*A*S*H episodes (Season 3), M*A*S*H
* Or (My Treasure), a 2004 movie from Israel (''Or'' means "light" in Hebrew)
Music
* Or (album), ''Or ...
meet the needs of UK national security", fund spending at the country level was disclosed and an annual report produced.
In April 2019, an inquiry, which could lead to criminal proceedings, was announced into the leaking to ''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' of a decision by the NSC to allow Huawei
Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ( ; ) is a Chinese multinational technology corporation headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, produces and sells telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics and various smar ...
to bid for 'non-core' elements of the construction of the prospective 5G network
In telecommunications, 5G is the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks, which cellular phone companies began deploying worldwide in 2019, and is the planned successor to the 4G networks which provide connectiv ...
.
In the early months of Johnson's premiership, several sub-committees of the NSC ceased to exist. Additionally, the NSC met weekly during the ministries of David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
and Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cab ...
, but didn't meet at all between January and May 2020, under Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
. Johnson has since confirmed that he will chair a NSC meeting at least once per month and more frequently if circumstances dictate. Johnson's non-use of the NSC has been criticised.
The Council was briefly renamed the Foreign Policy and Security Council (FPSC) under Prime Minister Liz Truss
Mary Elizabeth Truss (born 26 July 1975) is a British politician who briefly served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from September to October 2022. On her fiftieth day in office, she stepped down ...
. The list of Cabinet Committees published 3 November 2022, confirmed the name had been changed back to National Security Council under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak (; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. He previously held two Cabinet of ...
.
Membership
As of 3 November 2022, the National Security Council's membership is as follows:
Other ministers and senior officials attend the NSC and NSM where applicable. These other figures have been noted to include the Chief of the Defence Staff (not the individual chiefs of each service), the heads of intelligence agencies and the Leader of the Opposition. Stakeholders including the devolved governments, local authorities and external experts are also consulted in preparation for meetings.
Sub-committees
Nuclear Deterrence and Security Sub-Committee
The terms of reference of the National Deterrence and Security Sub-Committee is to consider issues relating to nuclear deterrence and security. As of 3 November 2022, its membership is as follows:
Europe Sub-Committee
The terms of reference of the Europe Sub-Committee is to consider matters of foreign policy and trade in relation to Europe. As of 3 November 2022, its membership is as follows:[Where matters relate to Northern Ireland, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland would attend.]
National Security Secretariat
The size and shape of the National Security Secretariat (NSS) and its senior leadership has fluctuated since its inception in May 2010. From July 2010, there were two Deputy National Security Advisers (DNSAs): Julian Miller for Foreign & Defence Policy and Oliver Robbins for Intelligence, Security & Resilience. By March 2013, Hugh Powell – previously a National Security Secretariat Director – had been promoted to a newly created third DNSA position. As of 6 November 2014, there were three DNSAs: Hugh Powell as DNSA (Foreign Policy), Julian Miller as DNSA (Defence, Nuclear and Strategy) and Paddy McGuinness
Patrick Joseph McGuinness (born 14 August 1973) is an English actor, comedian and television presenter. He rose to fame with the help of Peter Kay, who invited him to appear in his programmes ''That Peter Kay Thing'', ''Phoenix Nights'' and ''Ma ...
as DNSA (Intelligence, Security & Resilience). As of early December 2014, the National Security Secretariat was staffed by 180 officials and comprises five directorates: Foreign & Defence Policy; the Civil Contingencies Secretariat
The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS), created in July 2001, is the executive department of the British Cabinet Office responsible for civil defence, emergency planning in the United Kingdom, UK. The role of the secretariat is to ensure th ...
; Security & Intelligence; the Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance, and UK Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT UK). As of 10 February 2015, Liane Saunders – previously the National Security Secretariat's Director for Foreign Policy and its Afghanistan/Pakistan Coordinator – was described as an Acting Deputy National Security Adviser (Conflict, Stability and Foreign Policy).
On 16 June 2016, the Cabinet Office released staff data, correct as of 31 March 2016, listing two current Deputy National Security Advisers: Paddy McGuinness (responsible for Intelligence, Security and Resilience) and then Brigadier Gwyn Jenkins
General Gwyn Jenkins, is a senior Royal Marines officer, serving as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff since August 2022. He was concurrently appointed Commandant General Royal Marines in November 2022.
Early life and education
Jenkins was educate ...
(responsible for Conflict, Stability & Defence). Jenkins appeared to have been in post since at least June 2015. Prior to becoming a deputy National Security Adviser, Jenkins was the military assistant to prime minister David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
.
As of April 2017, it was announced that a diplomat, Christian Turner
Christian Philip Hollier Turner (born 19 August 1972) is a British diplomat serving as Political Director of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office since 2023. He previously served as British High Commissioner to Pakistan from 2019 to ...
, had replaced Jenkins as the second Deputy National Security Adviser, with a portfolio comprising 'foreign and defence policy.' According to one of Turner's tweets, dated 13 April 2017, his first week as Deputy National Security Adviser was the week commencing Monday 10 April 2017. Turner is now the High Commissioner to Pakistan. Turner was replaced by David Quarrey
David Quarrey (born 1966) is a British diplomat and the British Ambassador to NATO since 2022. He was formerly acting National Security Adviser, having taken over the role while David Frost continued as the United Kingdom's Chief Negotiator to ...
in July 2019.
It was reported on 14 January 2018 that Paddy McGuinness was leaving the national security secretariat. His successor as deputy national security adviser for intelligence, security and resilience, Richard Moore, announced his appointment on 8 January via his personal Twitter account. Moore’s tenure as deputy NSA was relatively brief (circa three months), ending in early April when he returned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as Political Director, a move he also announced via Twitter on 8 April. Although unconfirmed publicly by the UK government, Madeleine Alessandri
Madeleine Kay Alessandri (born 1965) is a British civil servant who has had a career in the security and diplomatic services. , she is the Permanent Secretary for the Northern Ireland Office, replacing Sir Jonathan Stephens following his retir ...
had replaced Moore as the second deputy national security adviser. However, in September 2018, Alessandri's name and appointment was mentioned in a government response to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament
The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) is a statutory joint committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, appointed to oversee the work of the UK intelligence community.
The committee was established in 1994 by the I ...
and a list of government salaries. Alessandri apparently took up her appointment in July 2018. Alessandri has left her Deputy NSA post to work in the Northern Ireland Office in January 2020. Alessandri has been replaced by Beth Sizeland while Alex Ellis has also been added as a deputy with the title 'Deputy National Security Adviser for the Integrated Review on diplomacy, development and defence'. Sizeland's appointment was confirmed in an oral evidence by Mark Sedwill, however, as of 25 May 2020, her appointment has not been updated on the Cabinet Office website.
As of October 2020, Quarrey has taken over the post of acting NSA while Lord Frost
David George Hamilton Frost, Baron Frost (born 21 February 1965) is a British former diplomat, civil servant and politician who briefly served as a Minister of State at the Cabinet Office between March and December 2021. Frost was Chief Nego ...
remains Chief Negotiator for the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
talks. On 29 January 2021, it was announced that Stephen Lovegrove
Sir Stephen Augustus Lovegrove (born 30 November 1966) is a British civil servant who was appointed as UK National Security Adviser with effect from the end of March 2021, having previously served as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ...
, not Frost, would be appointed as National Security Adviser.
See also
* British intelligence agencies
The Government of the United Kingdom maintains intelligence agencies within three government departments, the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence. These agencies are responsible for collecting and analysing foreign and do ...
References
{{NSA
External links
Cabinet Office - National Security Council
Cabinet Office - National Security
Cabinet Committees
Institute for Government/King's College London - ''The National Security Council: national security at the centre of government''
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
2010 establishments in the United Kingdom
Government agencies established in 2010
National security of the United Kingdom
Committees of the United Kingdom Cabinet Office