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Mark Sedwill: The cabinet secretary's path from Afghanistan to Whitehall warfare

The most powerful official in government had been building up to the role for 30 years – then a string of secret briefings saw him become the third senior diplomat to be forced out since Johnson and Cummings moved to Downing Street. Kim Sengupta reports.

Wednesday 08 July 2020 23:54 BST
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Mark Sedwill, the then-top civil servant at the Home Office, leaves the Houses of Parliament in 2014
Mark Sedwill, the then-top civil servant at the Home Office, leaves the Houses of Parliament in 2014

While in Afghanistan as Nato’s civilian chief, Mark Sedwill used to stress the need for trust and teamwork, “watching each other’s backs” and ensuring “top cover” from governments back home to chart a path through a very violent war and destabilising political turbulence in the region.

Those precautions served him well in forming an effective partnership with his two military counterparts, the formidable generals Stan McChrystal and David Petraeus, at a time of constant Taliban attacks which triggered a “surge” of US-led international forces to 140,000, while also searching for a way out of the long and bloody conflict.

Sedwill was viewed as having a “good war” and those of us who used to know him in Afghanistan watched with interest how smoothly Sir Mark, as he became, went on to rise through Britain’s diplomatic, security and political ranks to hold the job of both Cabinet Secretary and National Security Adviser (NSA).

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