National security 'spreading across Whitehall'

Friday, 14 May 2010 12:00 AM

By Aled Thomas

No 10 plans to impose national security considerations across Whitehall departments more than ever before.

A Conservative party advisor told politics.co.uk that the setting-up of the new national security council (NSC), with its first meeting open to cameras, on the first day of government was "to make it clear that this is the new way of doing things".

In an exclusive interview the party figure said the government wanted to take a "holistic" approach to national security as a whole.

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"This is not just about homeland defence, checks at airports and borders," the source said.

"National security involves foreign and defence policy and counter terrorism, but also work in communities, ethnic integration, counter-radicalisation. Conflict prevention is also a central part of ensuring national security."

He added: "It's hard to meaningfully think about domestic and overseas policy as different when it comes to national security."

And 'nation building' or at least support may figure in the new government's thinking, with the party insider saying: "It's much better to prevent a failed state than to fight through the ruins of one."

The NSC, led by national security advisor Sir Peter Ricketts, but with meetings featuring senior Cabinet ministers and chaired by the prime minister, will take a strategic and coordinating role.

The party advisor said: "We are not talking about merging SIS with MI5 or anything like that, and the joint intelligence committee will still be in charge of intelligence. This is about strategy and coordination."

As well as the NSC other reforms include new teams in the Cabinet Office to improve resilience in the face of threats to critical national infrastructure, with the Conservative party's thinking informed by recent natural disasters.

"Katrina was a big lesson. And the floods in Gloucestershire in 2007, we were two inches from having to evacuate the county and find shelter for 300,000 people," the spokesperson continued.

"This is not, I emphasise, about checkpoints anywhere, it's being prepared for emergencies; think of things like swine flu. It's clear that if something does happen, it will be upon us before we know it."

Tags:
• defence
,
• foreign policy