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By Tim Ross, Viktoria Dendrinou, and Ewa Krukowska

March 23, 2018 at 5:34 PM UTC

Updated on

March 24, 2018 at 12:01 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

For a war zone veteran who as U.K. national security adviser deals daily with terrorist threats, cyber attacks and now the use of a Russian nerve agent on British soil, Mark Sedwill is a very good sleeper.

When he flies long haul for work, the 53-year-old reclines his business class seat, wraps up in a blanket, pulls his seat-belt tight -- and meditates. Sedwill drifts into unconsciousness with the same kind of professional efficiency that has won him the total trust of Prime Minister Theresa May.