Jonathan Powell | |
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Jonathan Powell (right)
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Downing Street Chief of Staff | |
In office 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007 |
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Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
Preceded by | Office Created |
Succeeded by | Tom Scholar |
Personal details | |
Born | 14 August 1956 |
Nationality | British |
Political party | Labour |
Spouse(s) | Sarah Helm |
Alma mater |
University College, Oxford University of Pennsylvania |
Jonathan Nicholas Powell (born 14 August 1956) is a British diplomat who served as the first Downing Street Chief of Staff, under British Prime Minister Tony Blair from 1997 to 2007. He was the only senior adviser to last the whole period of Blair’s leadership. During this period Powell was also the chief British negotiator on Northern Ireland.
In 2007, Powell joined Morgan Stanley as a full-time senior managing director of its investment banking division.
He runs the charity Inter Mediate which works on armed conflicts around the world. In 2014, David Cameron appointed Powell to be the UK's special envoy to Libya.
Powell is the son of Air Vice-Marshal John Frederick Powell. He has three brothers: Charles, who was foreign policy advisor to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; Chris, a former advertiser; and Roderick. Although Powell pronounces the family name in the conventional manner (to rhyme with 'towel'), Charles pronounces it as 'pole'.
Powell was educated at The Cathedral Choir School, Canterbury, and The King's School, Canterbury. He read history and gained a 2.1 at University College, Oxford and the University of Pennsylvania. He then worked for the BBC and Granada TV before joining the Foreign Office in 1979.