FN: Starmer Cancels Gwyn Jenkins' Appointment as National Security Adviser

Kier starmer has cancelled the appointment of Gwyn Jenkins a top General as the National Security advisor this decision has raised concerns among senior civil servants who believe it may be aimed at allowing a more politically loyal candidate to take the position Jenkins was initially appointed by former prime minister Rishi sunak in April but starmer's move indicates a shift in priorities although Jenkins can reapply for the role many in the government see this as part of starmer's strategy to place allies in key Civil Service positions one official remarked that the process for Jenkins appointment was transparent and there seems to be no valid reason to restart it another individual involved in Jenkins initial appointment described starmer's decision as a mistake emphasizing Jenkins impressive qualifications starmer's Administration is already facing scrutiny for appointing political allies to various roles for instance Ian corfield a labor donor was appointed as a temporary director at the treasury and we Ali received the pass for number 10 additionally Jess Sergeant who previously worked for a labor aligned think tank now holds a senior position in the cabinet office the conservatives have demanded answers from the cabinet secretary Simon case regarding who issued the pass to Alley while Downing Street has refrained from commenting on individual appointments Hannah white head of the institute for government criticized Labor's approach to senior appointments stating that bypassing established recruitment practices undermines Merit and impartiality Jenkins was set to replace Tim Barrow the outgoing National Security adviser who was transitioning to become Britain's ambassador to Washington however Barrow's appointment has also been canell with starmer considering appointing a prominent labor figure like Peter mandelson or David miliband instead the Prime Minister plans to wait until after the upcoming presidential election in the United States before making a final decision aware that a potential victory for Donald Trump could complicate the role for a labor aligned Diplomat in Washington Jenkins who has had a distinguished military career served in Northern Ireland and Afghanistan and was previously a military adviser to David Cameron he was appointed Vice chief of the defense staff and head of the Royal Marines in 2022 his appointment as National Security adviser was initially welcomed with sunac praising his qualifications however Jenkins has faced controversy including failing to report evidence of extra judici killings by SAS members in Afghanistan in summary starmer's cancellation of Jenkins appointment reflects ongoing tensions within the labor party and raises questions about the future of National Security leadership in the United Kingdom fast news is the first channel to bring you breaking news in real time subscribe