On MONDAY, 13th February at 5pm, TWS will meet in Emmanuel College to discuss a wide-ranging and novel paper on the National Security Council and the Prime Minister by George Bangham and Sarang Shah.
Since 9/11 the UK’s national security has become an increasingly central organisational principle for government. The National Security Council was founded in May 2010 in acknowledgement of this trend, to provide high-level government co-ordination on all matters of security and defence. This politically-motivated innovation is now accepted by all parties, however its implementation leaves many shortcomings to be addressed.
This paper therefore traces two main threads in constitutional history; the role of intelligence in policymaking, and the constitutional authority of the Prime Minister. It proposes an obligatory role for the NSC in the intelligence cycle, examining the statutory means to regulate its future behaviour. Situating all this in the wider debates on UK constitutional reform, this paper will thus be of wide interest, to students of history, law, international relations, intelligence and much more.
Lord Wilson of Dinton has been Master of Emmanuel College since 2002. Previously, his 36-year career in the Civil Service spanned wide-ranging work in the Home Office, Department for the Environment and the Board of Trade, before culminating in his appointment as Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Home Civil Service from 1998-2002. He is among the country’s foremost authorities on all aspects of government, national security and the constitution. As Patron of the Wilberforce Society, he has been closely involved with TWS since its foundation, and has provided invaluable advice and contacts during the writing of this paper.
This policy seminar will take place from 5-6.30pm on Monday 13th February, in the Harrods Room, Queen’s Building, Emmanuel College.
All are welcome.
If you would like a copy of the paper, please email foreign-policy@wilberforcesociety.co.uk. We will provide printed executive summaries at the meeting.