Hypocrites! A surprising appointment as National Security Adviser

Starmer's choice of Tony Blair's Chief of Staff, Jonathan Powell, has surprised many. Powell is closely associated with what is arguably the biggest security mistake of the last half century - Iraq.

The first duty of any Government is to keep people safe, and in carrying out that duty any Government should have objective, and at times challenging, advice from their National Security Adviser. That is why making a political appointment takes this Government into such dangerous territory.

Independent, impartial, specialist advice on national security i…