UK security adviser Jonathan Powell under pressure over wife's Palestine Action post
Writer Sarah Helm expressed support on X for Palestine Action, a proscribed group, prompting calls for her husband to distance himself or quit.
At a glance
- Sarah Helm, wife of UK national security adviser Jonathan Powell, posted support for Palestine Action on X.
- Palestine Action was proscribed last year; the ban has led to more than 3,700 arrests and over 2,250 people charged as terrorists.
- Downing Street said Helm's views do not represent the government; the Met is assessing whether to investigate the post.
The UK's national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, is facing pressure to distance himself from a social media post by his wife, the writer Sarah Helm, expressing support for the direct action group Palestine Action, which was proscribed under UK terror laws last year.
Helm's post on X was made in defence of the Irish novelist Sally Rooney, who said she had been forced to pull her books from UK shelves after pledging proceeds from their sales to Palestine Action. Police said the post was "in the process of being assessed" to determine whether an investigation was required.
Downing Street distanced itself from Helm's comments on Friday, with a spokesperson saying: "These views are held by an individual who does not represent the government in any capacity." A government spokesperson gave the same response when asked about Powell's position.
Helm wrote on X after the broadcaster Adam Boulton described Rooney's support for Palestine as "anti-Jewish". Helm wrote: "God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action. Sounds like Adam would have all our books swept off the shelves in a jiffy."
What the law says
Support for a proscribed organisation can constitute a criminal offence carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The ban on Palestine Action has so far resulted in more than 3,700 arrests for backing the group, with more than 2,250 people formally charged as terrorists.
Under government guidance, being married to a suspected or convicted terrorist would normally result in the revocation of security clearance. The vetting framework for the national security adviser role treats being married to someone tied to a proscribed terrorist organisation as "an automatic, unmitigated national security risk".
Reaction
Defend Our Juries, a free speech group that supports the right to protest peacefully, thanked Helm for "defying this absurdly authoritarian ban" and said it knew of 36 people who had been arrested and had their homes raided for similar posts on social media. The group said it hoped she would not face the same treatment.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism called for Helm to "face the full force of the law". A spokesperson said the matter raised "extremely serious questions" for Powell and the government, adding that he "must publicly denounce this rhetoric if he is to continue in post".
Rooney and the open letter
Hundreds of writers have signed an open letter supporting Rooney, whose novels include Normal People and Conversations With Friends, warning that "a country that bans its writers for speaking out is not a free country". The letter carries 419 signatures from novelists, poets, editors and illustrators, among them Ali Smith, Kamila Shamsie, Jeanette Winterson, Robert Macfarlane and Nikesh Shukla.
Rooney said she withdrew from the UK market with her publisher, Faber, after learning that passing on her UK earnings could constitute a serious criminal offence. In a letter shared with the Guardian, she said she was "wholly prepared to accept the consequences". Faber continues to sell her books in other countries.
Helm, a former Sunday Times journalist and diplomatic editor at the Independent who spent many years covering the Middle East, is writing a book about Gaza. Her works include a book about the women imprisoned by the Nazis at Ravensbrück and Loyalty, a play about the Iraq war inspired by Powell's decade as chief of staff to the then prime minister Tony Blair. The couple married in 2007, and Powell was appointed national security adviser in 2024 under Keir Starmer.
Source: The Guardian World.
Questions and answers
- Who is Sarah Helm?
- Sarah Helm is a writer, former Sunday Times journalist and Independent diplomatic editor who married national security adviser Jonathan Powell in 2007. Her works include a book about women imprisoned at Ravensbrück and a play about the Iraq war.
- Why can supporting Palestine Action be a criminal offence?
- Palestine Action was proscribed under UK terror laws last year, meaning expressions of support can constitute a criminal offence carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The ban has led to more than 3,700 arrests.
- Why did Sally Rooney pull her books from UK shelves?
- Rooney said she learned that passing on her earnings from UK book sales to Palestine Action could constitute a serious criminal offence, so she withdrew from the UK market with her publisher, Faber.
