Overview

Jonathan Nicholas Powell (born 14 August 1956) is a British civil servant, former diplomat and politician who has served as the UK National Security Adviser. He is known for a long career in government, negotiation and conflict resolution.

Career

• He served as Downing Street Chief of Staff from 1997 to 2007 under Tony Blair.
• During that period he was also the chief British negotiator in the Northern Ireland peace process.
• He joined Morgan Stanley in 2007 as a senior managing director in its investment banking division.
• He runs the charity Inter Mediate, which works on armed conflicts around the world.
• In 2014, David Cameron appointed him as the UK’s special envoy to Libya.
• In 2024, Keir Starmer appointed him as a special envoy to resolve the Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute.
• Following the May 2025 Chagos agreement, he was appointed by Starmer to serve as UK National Security Adviser. He has served as National Security Adviser under Starmer and, from 2026, under Andy Burnham.

News relevance

Powell is the husband of Sarah Helm. Police assessed a social media post by Helm referencing Palestine Action, which was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025. The Metropolitan Police said the post did not meet the criminal threshold and no further action would be taken. His senior role in national security made the article’s headline newsworthy.