Distractions Regarding Abd el-Fattah Became a Running Joke, States Former Starmer Adviser
Attempts to free of Alaa Abd el-Fattah frequently diverted Keir Starmer’s government from concentrating on core home affairs, according to a former member of the PM's inner circle of ex-aides.
Frustration Became a Source of Humour
Paul Ovenden, who stood down last year as the PM's chief of strategy, claimed the case of the British political prisoner became a “running joke” among those in government exasperated with 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 individual,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He added, “The majority on the political team of government weren’t that aware of it – not closely following it – because it didn’t impact us on a day-to-day basis. It actually became a sort of a running joke within government that people would invariably find a way to bring it back to this topic.”
A Sign of Wider Struggles
Ovenden argued the amount of time dedicated to freeing Abd el-Fattah was indicative of a government that has found it difficult to remain concentrated on voters’ core priorities in the face of pressure from “well-connected” activist groups and quasi-independent agencies.
These remarks came in his initial public statement since he stepped down in September, after it was revealed he had sent offensive texts about the Labour MP Diane Abbott previously.
Shared Frustrations in Downing Street
But, Ovenden’s political analysis is shared by many in Downing Street, including the prime minister, who complained 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 pointed to controversies over reparations to former colonies and prohibiting cigarettes in pub gardens as further examples.
“When the public is getting more and more frustrated, ever more disillusioned with a lack of progress, more and more fed up with distraction, in my opinion, we simply can’t afford to be using valuable time on what I consider distractions,” he said.
Calls for Policy Overhaul
In a further article, he urges the government to roll back green rules, cut benefits expenditure and even scrap the guaranteed pension increase mechanism.
“It is not necessary to keep picking the pockets of the wealth-generating sectors of our economy in order to pay for above-inflation pension rises for the wealthy or an unsustainable welfare system,” he argues. “We don’t have to stifle entrepreneurs from the outset with regulatory burdens.”
As one of a small group of advisers close to the prime minister since his days in the opposition benches, his exit was widely regarded as a blow to Starmer, even as his analysis of Whitehall priorities resonates in certain quarters.
