Distractions Regarding Alaa Abd el-Fattah Became a Recurring Gag, States Former Starmer Adviser
Efforts to free of the British-Egyptian activist regularly distracted Keir Starmer’s government from concentrating on core home affairs, according to one of the prime minister’s closest former advisers.
Frustration Became a Source of Humour
Paul Ovenden, who stepped down last year as the prime minister’s director of strategy, claimed the case of the British political prisoner evolved into a “recurring punchline” among those in Whitehall frustrated by the lack of progress of change.
“We'd hold long meetings on the key goals of the government, and frequently they would be derailed via AOB into conversations of this individual,” he stated on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He added, “The majority on the political side 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.”
Symptomatic of a Broader Issue
Ovenden argued the amount of time dedicated to freeing Abd el-Fattah was symptomatic of a government that has found it difficult to remain concentrated 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 initial public statement since he stepped down in September, after it was revealed he had 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, including 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 became distracted from its primary goals. He cited rows over reparations to former colonies and prohibiting cigarettes in pub gardens as other instances.
“When the public is getting increasingly impatient, ever more disillusioned with a lack of progress, increasingly tired with distraction, in my opinion, we cannot justify to be spending their time on what I consider diversions,” he said.
Calls for Policy Overhaul
In a further article, he urges the government to roll back environmental regulations, cut welfare spending and even scrap the triple-lock on pensions.
“It is not necessary to keep picking the pockets of the productive parts of our economy in order to fund inflation-busting pension increases for the wealthy or an unsustainable welfare system,” he argues. “There is no need to stifle small businesses at birth with excessive regulation.”
As one of a handful of advisers close to the prime minister since his days in opposition, his departure was widely regarded as a setback to Starmer, while his analysis of governmental focus finds sympathy in certain quarters.
