08/11/2024 11:37
The Guardian
Powell returns to heart of Whitehall after serving as chief of staff for Tony BlairIt is quite a week for comebacks. Jonathan Powell’s return to No 10 is not up there with Donald Trump getting back to the White House, but it is big news for anyone interested Whitehall machinery. Powell started his career as a Foreign Office civil servant but he started working for Tony Blair when Blair was Labour leader in 1995 and, unlike Sue Gray, who made a similar leap into party politics, Powell survived as chief of staff for Blair’s entire premiership.Now he’s back – as the new national security adviser.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.[Trump] will attempt to engineer a rapid solution, but he’s been pulled in two directions.There will be a land swap. That is a terrible thing for the people who end up living under Russian rule. But fundamentally, it’s not the main argument. The main argument is whether Ukraine is a western or eastern country in future. Continue reading...
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