Distractions Over Alaa Abd el-Fattah Were a Recurring Gag, Says Ex-Starmer Adviser
Attempts to free of the British-Egyptian activist regularly distracted the Starmer administration from concentrating on bread-and-butter home affairs, according to a former member of the prime minister’s closest ex-aides.
Frustration Became a Source of Humour
Paul Ovenden, who stepped down last year as the prime minister’s director of strategy, said the case of the imprisoned activist became a “running joke” among those in government frustrated by the slow pace of change.
“We would be having long meetings on the priorities of the government, and often they would be derailed via AOB into discussions of this individual,” he stated on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He added, “The majority 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 sort of a standing joke within government that people would always find a way to bring it back to this conversation.”
A Sign of Wider Struggles
Ovenden argued the amount of time spent on the activist's case was symptomatic of a government that has struggled to stay focused on the public's main concerns in the face of pressure from “influential” activist groups and arms-length bodies.
These remarks came in his first public intervention since he stepped down in September, following revelations he sent offensive texts about the Labour MP Diane Abbott eight years ago.
Shared Frustrations in Downing Street
But, Ovenden’s assessment is echoed 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 among a number of areas where the government became distracted from its primary goals. He pointed to rows over reparations to former colonies and prohibiting cigarettes in outdoor hospitality areas as further examples.
“When the public is getting increasingly impatient, more and more fed up with inaction, increasingly tired with side issues, in my opinion, we cannot justify to be using valuable time on what I consider distractions,” he said.
Advocating for a Radical Shift
In a separate piece, he urges the government to roll back green rules, reduce welfare spending and even end the triple-lock on pensions.
“It is not necessary to keep picking the pockets of the wealth-generating sectors of our economy in order to fund inflation-busting pension increases for the wealthy or an unsustainable welfare system,” he writes. “We don’t have to strangle small businesses at birth with regulatory burdens.”
Having been part of a small group of advisers around the prime minister since his days in opposition, his departure was seen by many as a blow to Starmer, even as his analysis of Whitehall priorities resonates in certain quarters.
