Government “cannot do everything” says Committee Chair, as he urges clear direction on national security

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• National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)

Ahead of the publication of a new national security strategy (NSS) later this year, Matt Western, the Chair of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, has written to Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who oversees national security and resilience policy across government.

“The NSS should be clear that the Government cannot do everything,” the Chair writes. “It should set out why and how certain issues are being prioritised, alongside a clear articulation of what the Government will stop doing”.

The Chair also highlights the importance of public accountability of national security, questioning again why the Government refuses to allow the new National Security Adviser to give evidence to the Committee.

“We struggle to understand why an evidence session with the National Security Adviser should be a problem,” the Chair writes. “The Government’s reluctance to arrange this is an unforced error of judgement which should be rectified at the earliest opportunity.”

Referring to significant shifts in the United States’ approach to security issues in recent months, he says the Committee cautions against both “overly hasty moves” and “an ostrich strategy”. Instead, the Committee calls for the NSS to set out the direction of travel for those areas in which the UK is most acutely reliant on the United States.

Chair comment

Chair of the Committee, Matt Western, said:

“The Government is facing many complicated challenges on national security. It must make tough decisions about its priorities; attempting to do everything, all at once, is unlikely to work. The Government needs to focus on maximising our strategic advantages to compete with adversaries, and on strengthening societal resilience.

The new national security strategy is a chance to set a clear direction and embed responsibilities across government. The private sector has a crucial role to play too, and wider engagement is crucial: we need to prepare businesses and the public for the reality that our security environment is deteriorating and our exposure to acute risks is growing.

We look forward to scrutinising the strategy and its delivery in the coming months.”

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
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