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Diversions Over Alaa Abd el-Fattah Were a Running Joke, Says Former Starmer Aide
Efforts to secure the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah regularly distracted Keir Starmer’s government from concentrating on core home affairs, according to a former member 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, said the case of the British political prisoner became a “running joke” among those in government exasperated with the lack of progress of change.
“We'd hold long meetings on the key goals of the government, and often they would be derailed via any other business into conversations of this individual,” he stated on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He continued, “Most of us on the political side of government weren’t that aware of it – not closely following it – because it didn't affect us daily. It actually became a bit of a kind of a running joke within government that people would always find a way to bring it back to this conversation.”
Symptomatic of a Broader Issue
Ovenden said the amount of time dedicated to freeing Abd el-Fattah was indicative of a government that has found it difficult to stay focused on the public's main concerns in the face of pressure from “well-connected” activist groups and quasi-independent agencies.
These remarks were made during his initial public statement since he stepped down in September, after it was revealed he sent inappropriate messages about the Labour MP Diane Abbott previously.
Shared Frustrations in Downing Street
But, Ovenden’s assessment is echoed by many in Number 10, even the prime minister, who lamented last month about excessive red tape slowing government action.
Ovenden stated Abd el-Fattah’s case was one of several areas where the government was sidetracked from its main objectives. He cited controversies over compensation for historical injustices and banning smoking in pub gardens as further examples.
“At a time when the public is getting increasingly impatient, ever more disillusioned with inaction, more and more fed up with side issues, in my opinion, we simply can’t afford to be spending their time on what I consider diversions,” he said.
Advocating for a Radical Shift
In a further article, he calls on the government to scale back environmental regulations, cut benefits expenditure and even end the guaranteed pension increase mechanism.
“We don’t have to keep taking money of the wealth-generating sectors of our economy in order to pay for inflation-busting pension increases for the wealthy or an unaffordable benefits framework,” he argues. “We don’t have to strangle entrepreneurs at birth with regulatory burdens.”
As one of a handful of advisers close to the prime minister since his days in opposition, his exit was seen by many as a blow to Starmer, even as his analysis of Whitehall priorities finds sympathy in certain quarters.
Kim Ramirez
A passionate golfer and journalist with over a decade of experience covering PGA tours and equipment innovations.
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