National Security Council (United Kingdom)
The National Security Council of the United Kingdom is a Cabinet Committee tasked with overseeing all issues related to national security, intelligence coordination, and defence strategy. The terms of reference of the National Security Council are to consider matters relating to national security, foreign policy, defence, cyber security, resilience, energy and resource security.
History
The National Security Council was established on 12 May 2010 by Prime Minister David Cameron. 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 reflects the central coordination of national security issues seen in the Committee of Imperial Defence, which operated from 1902 until 1947, while also being partly modelled on the United States National Security Council.The Council is a Cabinet committee; 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 UK's National Security Adviser is secretary to the council. The NSA role is currently held by Sir Mark Sedwill, who commenced work as the UK's fourth NSA in April 2017. In October 2018, Sedwill became Cabinet Secretary and it was subsequently reported that he would be expected to combine the NSA role with his new responsibilities as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service. However, as of July 2019, he retains dual appointments.
From 1 April 2015 the council oversaw the newly created Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, 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 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’ 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 of a decision by the NSC to allow Huawei to bid for 'non-core' elements of the construction of the prospective 5G network.
The council met weekly during the administrations of David Cameron and Theresa May, but meets very infrequently under Prime Minister Boris Johnson and not at all during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Membership
As of 29 June 2020, the NSC's membership is as follows:| Image | Officeholder | Office |
| The Rt Hon. Boris Johnson | Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
| The Rt Hon. Rishi Sunak | Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
| The Rt Hon. Dominic Raab | First Secretary of State Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
| The Rt Hon. Priti Patel | Secretary of State for the Home Department | |
| The Rt Hon. Michael Gove | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | |
| The Rt Hon. Ben Wallace | Secretary of State for Defence | |
| The Rt Hon. Alok Sharma | Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy | |
| The Rt Hon. Liz Truss | Secretary of State for International Trade | |
| The Rt Hon. Anne-Marie Trevelyan | Secretary of State for International Development | |
| The Rt Hon. Suella Braverman | Attorney General for England and Wales & Advocate General for Northern Ireland |
The NSC is to consider matters relating to national security, foreign policy, defence, international relations and development, resilience, energy and resource security.
Other government ministers, senior officials, military and intelligence officers attend as necessary, some on a regular basis. The Chief of the Defence Staff represents the Chiefs of Staff Committee at the NSC, not individual Chiefs of each service. There are three subcommittees of the NSC, Nuclear Deterrence and Security, Threats, Hazards, Resilience and Contingencies, and Strategic Defence and Security Review Implementation. The Leader of the Opposition has attended on an occasional basis.
Council Subcommittees
There were until November 2019, several sub-committees in the NSC after which, they ceased to exist. Only the Nuclear Deterrence and Security sub-committee was re-constituted as of 29 June 2020.Current Subcommittees
Nuclear Deterrence and Security Sub-Committee
Terms of Reference: To consider issues relating to nuclear deterrence and security.| Office |
| Prime Minister |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State |
| Home Secretary |
| Defence Secretary |
| Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary |
Past Subcommittees
Threats, Hazards, Resilience and Contingencies Subcommittee
The Threats, Hazards, Resilience and Contingencies Subcommittee was a subcommittee of the National Security Council with the terms of references to consider issues relating to terrorism and other security threats, hazards, resilience and intelligence policy and the performance and resources of the security and intelligence agencies; and report as necessary to the National Security Council.| Office |
| Minister for the Cabinet Office |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| Home Secretary |
| Foreign Secretary First Secretary of State |
| Defence Secretary |
| Justice Secretary |
| Education Secretary |
| Business Secretary |
| Health and Social Care Secretary |
| Transport Secretary |
| Communities Secretary |
| Northern Ireland Secretary |
| Environment Secretary |
| International Development Secretary |
| Culture Secretary |
Strategic Defence and Security Review Implementation Subcommittee
The Strategic Defence and Security Review Implementation Subcommittee was a subcommittee of the National Security Council with the terms of references to consider matters relating to implementation of the Strategic Defence and SecurityReview and National Security Strategy.
| Office |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| Minister for the Cabinet Office |
| Home Secretary |
| Foreign Secretary |
| Defence Secretary |
| Business Secretary |
| International Development Secretary |
| Culture Secretary |
Cross-Government Funds Subcommittee
The Cross-Government Funds Subcommittee was a subcommittee of the National Security Council with the terms of references to provide strategic direction to the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund and the Prosperity Fund.| Office |
| Minister for the Cabinet Office |
| Home Secretary |
| Foreign Secretary |
| Defence Secretary |
| Business Secretary |
| International Trade Secretary |
| International Development Secretary |
| Culture Secretary |
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury |
National Security Secretariat
The size and shape of the National Security Secretariat and its senior leadership has fluctuated since its inception in May 2010. From July 2010, there were two Deputy National Security Advisers : 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, Julian Miller as DNSA and Paddy McGuinness as DNSA. 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; Security & Intelligence; the Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance, and UK Computer Emergency Response Team. 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.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 and then Brigadier Gwyn Jenkins. 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.
As of April 2017, it was announced that a diplomat, Dr Christian Turner CMG, 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 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, 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 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 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.