Jonathan Powell is one of the most influential, shadowy figures in Britain; a posh, Oxford-educated mandarin who seems to fancy himself as a modern-day Lawrence of Arabia, swanning…
Jonathan Powell is one of the most influential, shadowy figures in Britain; a posh, Oxford-educated mandarin who seems to fancy himself as a modern-day Lawrence of Arabia, swanning around the Middle East to cut secret deals with warlords. As the UK’s National Security Adviser — a powerful, unelected political appointment secured under Keir Starmer and remarkably retained under Prime Minister Andy Burnham — Powell sits at the very heart of Downing Street’s security machine.
He learned his craft at the feet of his ultimate political mentor, Tony Blair. Wherever and whenever dubious Middle Eastern interventionism is cooking, Blair’s shadow is never far away. Serving as Blair’s right-hand man during the disastrous Iraq War era, Powell demonstrated early on that he […]
This is a source-linked briefing. Read the original report from Middle East Monitor .