Distractions Regarding Alaa Abd el-Fattah Became a Running Joke, Says Ex-Starmer Adviser
Efforts to secure the release of the British-Egyptian activist frequently diverted the Starmer administration from concentrating on core home affairs, according to a former member of the PM's inner circle of former advisers.
A 'Running Joke' Within Government
Paul Ovenden, who stepped down last year as the PM's chief of strategy, claimed the case of the British political prisoner became a “recurring punchline” among those in government exasperated with the slow pace of change.
“We would be having long meetings on the priorities of the government, and often they would be railroaded via AOB into conversations of this gentleman,” he stated on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He continued, “Most of us on the political side of government were largely unaware 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 return to this conversation.”
Symptomatic of a Broader Issue
Ovenden argued the amount of time spent on the activist's case was symptomatic 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” campaign organisations and quasi-independent agencies.
These remarks came in his first public intervention since he stepped down 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
But, Ovenden’s political analysis is echoed by many in Number 10, including the prime minister, who lamented last month about excessive red tape slowing government action.
Ovenden said Abd el-Fattah’s case was one of several areas where the government was sidetracked from its primary goals. He cited rows over reparations to former colonies and banning smoking in outdoor hospitality areas as other instances.
“At a time when the public is getting increasingly impatient, ever more disillusioned with inaction, increasingly tired 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 separate piece, he calls on the government to scale back environmental regulations, cut benefits expenditure and even end the triple-lock on pensions.
“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 millionaires or an unaffordable benefits framework,” he writes. “We don’t have to stifle small businesses 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 departure was widely regarded as a setback to Starmer, even as his critique of Whitehall priorities resonates in certain quarters.
