A former senior adviser to Prime Minister Keir Starmer has claimed that efforts to free the British political prisoner Alaa Abd el-Fattah became a distracting "running joke" within government, symptomatic of an administration struggling to stay focused on core domestic issues.
A Distraction from 'Bread-and-Butter' Politics
Paul Ovenden, who served as Starmer's director of strategy before resigning last September, made the comments in his first public intervention since leaving Downing Street. He argued that the significant time dedicated to the case of Alaa Abd el-Fattah was an example of how the government gets sidetracked by pressure from well-connected 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, the case was not a day-to-day concern, leading to the situation becoming "a bit of a kind of a running joke within government."
Wider Pattern of Government Distraction
Ovenden's critique extends beyond this single case. He identified the Abd el-Fattah situation as part of a broader pattern where the government loses focus on voters' main concerns. He cited debates over reparations to former colonies and banning smoking in pub gardens as other examples of distracting rows.
His analysis appears to echo frustrations held by the Prime Minister himself. Starmer recently complained 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."
Ovenden warned that at a time of public frustration with inaction, the government cannot afford to spend time on what he views as peripheral issues.
Calls for Radical Policy Shifts
In a separate article for the Times, Ovenden has called for a significant rollback of state intervention and spending. His controversial proposals include:
- Scaling back environmental regulations.
- Cutting welfare spending.
- Ending the triple-lock on pensions, which guarantees annual state pension increases of at least 2%.
He argues that the government must stop "picking the pockets of the productive parts of our economy" and cease "strangling small businesses at birth with regulatory burdens."
The backdrop to these revelations is the ongoing controversy surrounding Alaa Abd el-Fattah. The activist, who was freed from an Egyptian prison and returned to Britain on Boxing Day, has faced renewed scrutiny over decade-old social media posts. Ovenden's departure from government last year followed the revelation that he had sent inappropriate messages about Labour MP Diane Abbott eight years prior.
