Distractions Regarding Alaa Abd el-Fattah Became a Running Joke, Says Former Starmer Aide
Attempts to secure the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah regularly distracted the Starmer administration from focusing on bread-and-butter home affairs, according to a former member of the PM's inner circle of ex-aides.
A 'Running Joke' Within Government
Paul Ovenden, who stood down last year as the PM's chief of strategy, said the case of the imprisoned activist became a “running joke” among those in Whitehall exasperated with the slow pace of change.
“We would be having extended discussions on the key goals of the government, and frequently they would be railroaded via AOB into discussions of this individual,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He added, “The majority on the political team of government weren’t that aware of it – weren’t that tuned into it – because it didn’t impact us on a day-to-day basis. It truly turned into a bit of a kind of a running joke within government that people would invariably find a way to return to this topic.”
A Sign of Wider Struggles
Ovenden said the amount of time spent on freeing Abd el-Fattah was indicative of a government that has struggled to remain concentrated on the public's main concerns in the face of pressure from “well-connected” activist groups and quasi-independent agencies.
Ovenden’s comments were made during his initial public statement since he resigned in September, following revelations he sent offensive texts about the Labour MP Diane Abbott previously.
Echoes of PM's Own Concerns
However, Ovenden’s assessment is shared by many in Downing Street, even the prime minister, who lamented last month about bureaucratic hurdles 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 controversies over compensation for historical injustices and prohibiting cigarettes in outdoor hospitality areas as other instances.
“At a time when the public is getting increasingly impatient, more and more fed up with a lack of progress, increasingly tired with side issues, in my opinion, we cannot justify to be spending their time on what I consider diversions,” he said.
Calls for Policy Overhaul
In a separate piece, he calls on the government to scale back environmental regulations, cut benefits expenditure and even scrap the guaranteed pension increase mechanism.
“We don’t have to keep taking money of the wealth-generating sectors of our economy in order to fund above-inflation pension rises for the wealthy or an unaffordable benefits framework,” he argues. “We don’t have to stifle small businesses at birth with regulatory burdens.”
Having been part of a handful of advisers around the prime minister since his days in the opposition benches, his exit was seen by many as a setback to Starmer, while his critique of governmental focus finds sympathy in certain quarters.
