Distractions Over Abd el-Fattah Were a Recurring Gag, States Ex-Starmer Adviser
Attempts to secure the release of the British-Egyptian activist regularly distracted Keir Starmer’s government from focusing on core home affairs, according to a former member of the prime minister’s closest former advisers.
A 'Running Joke' Within Government
Paul Ovenden, who stood down last year as the PM's chief of strategy, claimed the case of the imprisoned activist evolved into a “running joke” among those in government frustrated by the slow pace of change.
“We would be having long meetings on the priorities of the government, and often they would be derailed via AOB into conversations of this gentleman,” he stated on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He added, “The majority on the political side of government were largely unaware of it – not closely following it – because it didn’t impact us on a day-to-day basis. It actually became a sort of a running joke within government that people would invariably find a way to bring it back to this conversation.”
A Sign of Wider Struggles
Ovenden argued the amount of time dedicated to freeing Abd el-Fattah was indicative of a government that has found it difficult to remain concentrated on the public's main concerns in the face of pressure from “influential” activist groups and arms-length bodies.
Ovenden’s comments came in his initial public statement since he resigned in September, after it was revealed he sent offensive texts about the Labour MP Diane Abbott eight years ago.
Shared Frustrations in Downing Street
But, Ovenden’s assessment is echoed by many in Downing Street, even the prime minister, who complained last month about excessive red tape slowing government action.
Ovenden said Abd el-Fattah’s case was one of several areas where the government was sidetracked from its primary goals. He pointed to rows over reparations to former colonies and prohibiting cigarettes in outdoor hospitality areas as further examples.
“When the public is getting increasingly impatient, ever more disillusioned with a lack of progress, 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.
Advocating for a Radical Shift
In a separate piece, he urges the government to scale back environmental regulations, cut benefits expenditure and even scrap the guaranteed pension increase mechanism.
“It is not necessary to keep taking money of the productive parts of our economy in order to fund inflation-busting pension increases for the wealthy or an unaffordable benefits framework,” he argues. “There is no need to strangle entrepreneurs at birth with excessive regulation.”
As one of a handful of advisers around the prime minister since his days in opposition, his departure was widely regarded as a setback to Starmer, even as his analysis of governmental focus finds sympathy in certain quarters.
