Distractions Regarding Alaa Abd el-Fattah Were a Running Joke, Says Former Starmer Adviser
Efforts to secure the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah frequently diverted Keir Starmer’s government from concentrating on core home affairs, according to one of the prime minister’s closest former advisers.
A 'Running Joke' Within Government
Paul Ovenden, who stepped down last year as the prime minister’s director of strategy, claimed the case of the imprisoned activist evolved into a “recurring punchline” among those in government frustrated by the lack of progress of change.
“We would be having long meetings on the priorities of the government, and often they would be railroaded via any other business into discussions of this gentleman,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He added, “Most of us on the political team of government weren’t that aware of it – weren’t that tuned into it – because it didn’t impact us daily. It actually became a sort of a standing joke within government that people would always find a way to bring it back to this conversation.”
Symptomatic of a Broader Issue
Ovenden argued the amount of time dedicated to the activist's case was indicative of a government that has struggled to stay focused on voters’ core priorities in the face of pressure from “well-connected” activist groups and arms-length bodies.
These remarks came in his initial public statement since he stepped down in September, following revelations he had sent offensive texts about the Labour MP Diane Abbott eight years ago.
Shared Frustrations in Downing Street
However, Ovenden’s assessment is echoed by many in Number 10, even the prime minister, who lamented last month about excessive red tape delaying government action.
Ovenden stated Abd el-Fattah’s case was among a number of areas where the government was sidetracked from its main objectives. He pointed to controversies over reparations to former colonies and banning smoking in pub gardens as further examples.
“When the public is getting increasingly impatient, more and more fed up with inaction, increasingly tired with distraction, in my opinion, we simply can’t afford to be using valuable time on what I consider diversions,” he said.
Advocating for a Radical Shift
In a separate piece, he calls on the government to scale back environmental regulations, reduce benefits expenditure and even end the triple-lock on pensions.
“We don’t have to keep taking money of the productive parts of our economy in order to fund inflation-busting pension increases for millionaires or an unaffordable benefits framework,” he writes. “There is no need to strangle small businesses at birth with excessive regulation.”
As one of a handful of advisers around the prime minister since his days in the opposition benches, his exit was seen by many as a blow to Starmer, while his critique of Whitehall priorities finds sympathy in certain quarters.
