Diversions Regarding Alaa Abd el-Fattah Became a Running Joke, Says Former Starmer Adviser
Attempts to free of the British-Egyptian activist frequently diverted the Starmer administration from concentrating on core home affairs, according to one of the PM's inner circle of ex-aides.
Frustration Became a Source of Humour
Paul Ovenden, who stepped down last year as the prime minister’s director of strategy, claimed the case of the British political prisoner evolved into a “running joke” among those in Whitehall exasperated with the lack of progress of change.
“We'd hold extended discussions on the priorities of the government, and frequently 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 side of government weren’t that aware of it – not closely following it – because it didn't affect us on a day-to-day basis. It truly turned into a sort of a running joke within government that people would always find a way to return to this topic.”
A Sign of Wider Struggles
Ovenden argued the amount of time spent on the activist's case was symptomatic of a government that has found it difficult to remain concentrated on voters’ core priorities in the face of pressure from “influential” activist groups and quasi-independent agencies.
Ovenden’s comments came in his first public intervention since he resigned in September, after it was revealed he sent inappropriate messages about the Labour MP Diane Abbott eight years ago.
Echoes of PM's Own Concerns
However, Ovenden’s political analysis is echoed by many in Number 10, even the prime minister, who complained last month about bureaucratic hurdles delaying government action.
Ovenden stated Abd el-Fattah’s case was among a number of areas where the government became distracted from its main objectives. He pointed to rows over reparations to former colonies and banning smoking in pub gardens as other instances.
“When the public is getting more and more frustrated, ever more disillusioned with a lack of progress, more and more fed up with side issues, in my opinion, we cannot justify to be spending their time on what I consider diversions,” he said.
Advocating for a Radical Shift
In a further article, he urges the government to roll back green rules, reduce welfare spending and even scrap the guaranteed pension increase mechanism.
“It is not necessary to keep taking money of the productive parts of our economy in order to pay for above-inflation pension rises for millionaires or an unaffordable benefits framework,” he writes. “We don’t have to strangle small businesses from the outset with excessive regulation.”
As one of a small group of advisers around the prime minister since his days in opposition, his departure was seen by many as a setback to Starmer, even as his analysis of Whitehall priorities finds sympathy in certain quarters.