A social media post by Sarah Helm, wife of national security adviser Jonathan Powell, is now under formal police assessment after she expressed solidarity with Palestine Action — a group proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the Home Office earlier this year.
What Was Said
Helm, an author and former foreign correspondent who has worked for the Sunday Times and the Independent, wrote on X: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.” The post appeared in response to a Sky News discussion about novelist Sally Rooney, whose books have been withdrawn from UK booksellers after she announced plans to direct her royalties toward Palestine Action.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that the post, published on Thursday 15 October, is “in the process of being assessed to determine whether any further police investigation may be required.” No charges have been announced.
The Political Fallout
Downing Street moved quickly to distance itself. A No 10 spokeswoman described Helm as “an individual who does not represent the government in any capacity.” The clarification was necessary. Powell holds one of the most sensitive positions in British public life, responsible for national security and deeply involved in Middle East diplomacy.
Reform UK MP Danny Kruger has written to the prime minister raising concerns about the post. The Campaign Against Antisemitism called it “gobsmacking”, demanding that Powell publicly denounce the remarks if he is to remain in post. “Spouses are entitled to independent views,” the group acknowledged, “but plainly Mr Powell, who leads on our country’s national security and has been intricately involved in our Middle East diplomacy, must publicly denounce this rhetoric if he is to continue in post.”
Not everyone agreed. Green Party leader Zack Polanski praised Helm’s “absolute common sense” and called for Palestine Action to be de-proscribed “immediately”, describing its official designation as a terror group as “ludicrous and authoritarian.”
The Legal and Security Context
The stakes here are not trivial. In 2025, the UK government formally proscribed Palestine Action under terrorism legislation, making membership or support a criminal offence carrying a sentence of up to 14 years in prison. The decision followed an incident in which four activists were jailed for causing £1.2 million of damage at the UK facility of an Israel-based defence firm.
The proscription has generated significant legal turbulence. An estimated 3,700 people were arrested for publicly expressing support for the group following the ban. Around 2,500 have been charged, though none of those cases have proceeded to trial — a Supreme Court challenge to the proscription is scheduled to be heard next month, which lends the entire episode an unresolved legal dimension that complicates any straightforward prosecutorial calculus.
Powell’s Position
Jonathan Powell’s career spans decades at the highest levels of British statecraft. He began as a diplomat before serving as a senior adviser in Tony Blair’s government, where he played a central role in brokering the Northern Ireland peace settlement. Sir Keir Starmer appointed him national security adviser in 2024, a position he retained under Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
The episode raises a narrow but pointed question: whether the private expressions of a senior official’s spouse carry any meaningful institutional weight, and whether the government’s stated commitment to enforcing the Palestine Action proscription can withstand scrutiny when those closest to its architects appear to dissent from it publicly. The police assessment will be watched closely.