Labour appoints Chagos chief to run national security

In an uncertain age, who do you want keeping the nation safe? How about the guy who just bartered away the Chagos Islands? Yes, that’s right, fresh from his Mauritian shenanigans, Jonathan Powell has today been announced as the new National Security Adviser in No.10. A former career diplomat, he famously served as Tony Blair’s Chief of Staff throughout his ten years in Downing Street. And now, after a stint in banking and endless summitry around the world, he is back to help out a flailing Labour government once more.

Powell’s appointment is not without controversy. As well as the Chagos farrago, he was a sometimes divisive figure in the Good Friday peace talks. He replaces Tim Barrow, a civil service ‘lifer’, in the role, having been a special adviser when last he served in government. Labour hasn’t always been such a fan of appointing apparatchiks to the role of National Security Adviser.