Kim Darroch

Sir Kim Darroch has been the Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser since January 2012.

Darroch is a former head of the Foreign Office News Department. In 2003-4 he was a member of the Departmental Board of the Foreign Office. Darroch 'was educated at Durham University, and Abingdon School.'^[1]

In December 2006 Darroch was moved to Brussels:

Mr Kim Darroch CMG has been appointed as the United Kingdom Permanent Representative to the European Union at Brussels in succession to Sir John Grant KCMG, who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Darroch will hold the personal rank of Ambassador and will take up his new appointment in autumn 2007.^[2]

Observers, such as Martin Bright of the New Statesman saw this as part of the process of transition to a Brown administration:

Last month's reshuffle at the highest levels of the Civil Service gave an indication of the shape of a Brownite diplomatic corps. Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Tony Blair's key foreign policy adviser, will move to Washington in the autumn, where Brown prides himself on personal relationships with individuals such as Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. At the same time, Kim Darroch, the PM's adviser on Europe, will move to Brussels. Both men will be consulted, but they will consider their wings seriously clipped.

Already, Jon Cunliffe, Brown's second permanent secretary at the Treasury, is being tipped to replace Sheinwald, with Ivan Rogers, a former director of European policy at the Treasury now working for Citigroup, lined up to replace Darroch. The appointment of economists rather than career diplomats to these key advisory posts would mark a sea change in the diplomatic culture of Downing Street.^[3]

Career

Name: Nigel Kim Darroch CMG Date of Birth: 30 April 1954 Married to: Vanessa Claire Children: one son 1983, one daughter 1986

• 2004-Present EU Adviser to the Prime Minister and Head of the Cabinet Office European Secretariat
• 2003-04 FCO, Director-General for European Union Affairs
• 2000-03 FCO, Director for European Union Affairs
• 1998-00 FCO, Head of News Department
• 1997-98 Counsellor (External Relations), UK Permanent Representation to the EU, Brussels
• 1995-97 FCO, Head of Eastern Adriatic Department
• 1993-95 FCO, Assistant then Deputy Head of European Union Department
• 1989-92 First Secretary, Rome
• 1987-89 FCO, Private Secretary to Minister of State dealing with Middle East
• 1985-86 FCO, Maritime, Aviation and Environment Department
• 1980-84 Third later Second later First Secretary, Tokyo (External Affairs

and Defence)

• 1976-79 FCO

Notes

1. ^ Written Answers July 2006, in response to a question from Kevin McNamara, cited in Craig Murray, A class war? August 1, 2006.
2. ^ Senior Diplomatic Service Appointments Monday 11 December 2006 09:40 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (National) News
3. ^ Martin Bright If Gordon Brown has a world view, it's high time he shared it The Observer, Sunday January 7, 2007
4. Sir Kim Darroch, gov.uk, accessed 11 December 2013.