The Metropolitan Police is assessing comments made by the wife of the Prime Minister’s national security adviser, after she was accused of backing the banned protest group Palestine Action.
Sarah Helm, who is married to Jonathan Powell, posted on X on Thursday: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.”
Ban and consequences
The ban on Palestine Action began on July 5, 2025, making membership or support of the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Downing Street has distanced itself from Ms Helm’s remarks. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) called on the police to investigate Ms Helm, a journalist and author.
Police and government response
The group acknowledged that “spouses are entitled to independent views”, but said Ms Helm’s post “raises extremely serious questions for Jonathan Powell and the Government”.
“Clearly, the police need to investigate and Sarah Helm must face the full force of the law, just like others who appear to express support for any proscribed terrorist organisation,” a spokesperson for the CAA added.
In a widely reported statement, a Met Police spokesperson said: “We have been made aware of an X post on Thursday, 15 October referencing Palestine Action. It is in the process of being assessed to determine whether any further police investigation may be required.”
A Government spokeswoman earlier said: “These views are held by an individual who does not represent the Government in any capacity.”
Context and impact
Ms Helm was responding to a discussion about Normal People author Sally Rooney, who has said she can no longer sell her books in the UK because of her support for the group. The Irish author previously said she would donate earnings from her books and BBC adaptations of novels to Palestine Action, which has a stated goal of “ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”. As a result, Rooney’s publisher, Faber, has determined it cannot sell her novels in Britain.
Figures have shown a continued surge in terror arrests after the ban on supporting Palestine Action was introduced. Police have made mass arrests at multiple demonstrations since, where protesters have typically held up placards and worn T-shirts and badges declaring “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action”, leading to their arrests under anti-terrorism legislation.
There were 3,867 arrests for suspected terrorist activity in the year to June, of which 3,630 (94%) were linked to supporting the group. In the previous 12-month period, before the ban came into force, 234 terror arrests were made. In August, the US government also announced sanctions against Palestine Action, designating it a terror group.
