A former senior adviser to Prime Minister Keir Starmer has claimed that the government's focus on securing the release of British political prisoner Alaa Abd el-Fattah became a 'running joke' within Downing Street, distracting from core domestic issues.
Distraction from 'Bread-and-Butter' Issues
In his first public comments since resigning last September, Paul Ovenden, Starmer's former director of strategy, said the case regularly derailed government meetings. Ovenden argued that the time dedicated to freeing Abd el-Fattah was symptomatic of an administration struggling to stay focused on voters' key concerns due to pressure from activist groups and arm's-length bodies.
'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,' Ovenden told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He added that for many on the political side, it was not a day-to-day concern, and it 'actually became a bit of a kind of a running joke within government.'
A Symbol of Wider Government Struggles
Ovenden's critique extends beyond this single case. He identified the Abd el-Fattah situation as one of several distractions, including debates over colonial reparations and smoking bans, which he believes have frustrated a public hungry for action on fundamental issues.
His analysis appears to echo the Prime Minister's own recent frustrations. Starmer complained last month about the bureaucratic hurdles slowing down delivery, stating: 'Every time I go to pull a lever there are a whole bunch of regulations, consultations, [and] arm’s-length bodies.'
Calls for Radical Policy Shifts
In a separate article for the Times, Ovenden used his intervention to call for a significant rollback of state intervention and spending. His controversial proposals include:
- Scaling back environmental regulations on businesses.
- Cutting welfare spending.
- Ending the triple-lock on state pensions, which guarantees annual increases.
He argued that the government must stop 'picking the pockets of the productive parts of our economy' and avoid 'strangl[ing] small businesses at birth with regulatory burdens.'
The controversy around Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a prominent activist imprisoned in Egypt, dominated headlines after his release and return to Britain on Boxing Day. It was further fuelled by a row over decade-old social media posts. Ovenden's departure from government followed the revelation he had sent inappropriate messages about MP Diane Abbott eight years ago.
