Distractions Over Alaa Abd el-Fattah Were a Recurring Gag, States Former Starmer Adviser
Efforts to secure the release of the British-Egyptian activist frequently diverted Keir Starmer’s government from concentrating on core domestic political issues, according to one of the prime minister’s closest ex-aides.
A 'Running Joke' Within Government
Paul Ovenden, who stood 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 Whitehall frustrated by the slow pace of change.
“We'd hold long meetings on the key goals of the government, and frequently they would be derailed via any other business into conversations of this individual,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He added, “Most of us on the political team of government were largely unaware of it – not closely following it – because it didn't affect us daily. It truly turned into a sort of a running joke within government that people would always find a way to bring it back to this conversation.”
A Sign of Wider Struggles
Ovenden said 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” activist groups and arms-length bodies.
These remarks came in his first public intervention since he resigned in September, following revelations he sent inappropriate messages about the Labour MP Diane Abbott eight years ago.
Shared Frustrations in Downing Street
However, Ovenden’s assessment is shared by many in Downing Street, even the prime minister, who lamented last month about bureaucratic hurdles delaying government action.
Ovenden stated Abd el-Fattah’s case was one of several areas where the government became distracted from its primary goals. He pointed to rows over compensation for historical injustices and banning smoking in outdoor hospitality areas as other instances.
“When the public is getting increasingly impatient, ever more disillusioned with inaction, more and more fed up with side issues, in my opinion, we simply can’t afford to be using valuable time on what I consider distractions,” he said.
Calls for Policy Overhaul
In a further article, he calls on the government to roll back green rules, cut benefits expenditure and even end the guaranteed pension increase mechanism.
“We don’t have to keep picking the pockets of the productive parts of our economy in order to fund above-inflation pension rises for the wealthy or an unaffordable benefits framework,” he writes. “There is no need to stifle entrepreneurs at birth with regulatory burdens.”
Having been part of a handful of advisers around the prime minister since his days in opposition, his exit was seen by many as a setback to Starmer, even as his critique of governmental focus finds sympathy in certain quarters.
