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Mark Lyall Grant

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Sir Mark Lyall Grant
GCMG
Mark Lyall Grant speaking at Chatham House in 2011
United Kingdom National Security Adviser
In office
7 September 2015 – 13 April 2017
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterDavid Cameron
Theresa May
Preceded byKim Darroch
Succeeded byMark Sedwill
Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations
In office
1 November 2009 – May 2015
MonarchElizabeth II
Preceded byJohn Sawers
Succeeded byMatthew Rycroft
Director-General for Political Affairs at the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office
In office
2007–2009
Preceded byJohn Sawers
Succeeded byGeoffrey Adams
Personal details
Born (1956-05-29) 29 May 1956 (age 68)
Hammersmith, London, England
SpouseSheila
Children2
Alma materEton College
Trinity College, Cambridge

Sir Mark Justin Lyall Grant, GCMG (born 29 May 1956) is a former senior British diplomat who was previously the United Kingdom's National Security Adviser and Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations.

Background

Born in Hammersmith to Mary (née Moore) and Ian Lyall Grant,[1] Grant was educated at Eton College and read law at Trinity College, Cambridge. He was called to the bar at Middle Temple, London before deciding to join the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1980.[2]

His wife, Sheila, is also a diplomat. In April 2012, Lady Lyall Grant, with Huberta von Voss Wittig, made a video appeal to Asma al-Assad, calling on the Syrian first lady to take a stand against violence in her country.[3] The Lyall Grants have a son and a daughter. Lyall Grant enjoys in his spare time a spot of golf, tennis, or bridge.[4]

Diplomatic career

Lyall Grant was British Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) from 2009 to 2015.[4][5] He held the office of President of the United Nations Security Council four times, during the months of November 2010, March 2012, June 2013, and August 2014.

Lyall Grant was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2003 New Year Honours before being promoted to Knight Commander (KCMG) in the 2006 Birthday Honours and a Knight Grand Cross in the 2018 New Year Honours.[6][7][8]

On 7 July 2015, Number 10 announced that Sir Mark would replace Sir Kim Darroch as the United Kingdom's National Security Advisor on 7 September 2015, with Darroch moving to a different diplomatic post.[9] As of September 2015, Lyall Grant was paid a salary of between £160,000 and £164,999, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.[10] On 27 February 2017 it was announced that Lyall Grant will retire in April and be replaced by the Home Office Permanent Secretary Mark Sedwill.[11]

On 29 May, 2019, the political newspaper The Hill disclosed that two weeks before then President elect Donald Trump's inaugutation, Sir Mark had issued a memo, which was hand-delivered to the then incoming U.S. national security adviser, Mike Flynn’s team, as well as to the Justice Department,in which he stated that the British government lacked confidence in the credibility of former MI6 spy Christopher Steele’s Russia collusion evidence. The memo has yet to be located, although it is thought to have been stored in a safe, inside the US Congress.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office career timeline

  • 2015–2017 National Security Adviser
  • 2009–15 British Permanent Representative to the United Nations
  • 2007–09 FCO, Director General for Political Affairs
  • 2003–06 High Commissioner to Pakistan
  • 2000–03 FCO director, Africa
  • 1998–2000 Head, European Union department, FCO
  • 1996–98 Deputy High Commissioner and Consul General, South Africa
  • 1994–96 Seconded to European Secretariat, Cabinet Office
  • 1990–93 First Secretary, Paris
  • 1987–89 Private Secretary to Minister of State, FCO
  • 1985–87 FCO
  • 1982–85 Second Secretary, Islamabad
  • 1980–82 FCO, worked in Southern Africa department

References

  1. ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  2. ^ LYALL GRANT, Sir Mark (Justin), Who's Who 2014, A & C Black, 2014; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014
  3. ^ BBC News website https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17753841
  4. ^ a b ukun.fco.gov.uk: "Permanent Representative - Sir Mark Lyall Grant"
  5. ^ Change of UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 7 October 2014
  6. ^ "No. 56797". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2002. p. 3.
  7. ^ "No. 58014". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 2006. p. 3.
  8. ^ "No. 62150". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2017. p. 4.
  9. ^ "National Security Adviser appointment: Sir Mark Lyall-Grant - Press releases - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015 - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  11. ^ "Cabinet office: new senior appointments and changes - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2017.

Offices held

Government offices
Preceded by Director-General, Political of the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
2007–2009 		Succeeded by
Preceded by National Security Advisor
7 September 2015– April 2017 		Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by United Kingdom
Permanent Representative
to the United Nations
2009–2015 		Succeeded by
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