🔗 Share this article Diversions Regarding Abd el-Fattah Were a Running Joke, Says Former Starmer Adviser Attempts to secure the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah frequently diverted the Starmer administration from focusing on bread-and-butter home affairs, as stated by one 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 British political prisoner evolved into a “recurring punchline” among those in Whitehall exasperated with the lack of progress of change. “We would be having long meetings on the key goals of the government, and often they would be railroaded via any other business into conversations of this gentleman,” 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 sort of a standing joke within government that people would always find a way to return to this topic.” A Sign of Wider Struggles Ovenden argued the amount of time dedicated to freeing Abd el-Fattah was symptomatic of a government that has struggled to remain concentrated on voters’ core priorities in the face of pressure from “influential” activist groups and quasi-independent agencies. Ovenden’s comments came in his initial public statement since he resigned in September, following revelations he sent offensive texts about the Labour MP Diane Abbott eight years ago. Echoes of PM's Own Concerns However, Ovenden’s political analysis is shared by many in Downing Street, even the prime minister, who complained last month about excessive red tape delaying government action. Ovenden stated Abd el-Fattah’s case was among a number of areas where the government was sidetracked from its primary goals. He cited rows over reparations to former colonies and banning smoking in outdoor hospitality areas as further examples. “At a time when the public is getting more and more frustrated, more and more fed up with a lack of progress, more and more fed up 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 separate piece, he urges the government to roll back environmental regulations, cut benefits expenditure 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 pay for inflation-busting pension increases for the wealthy or an unaffordable benefits framework,” he argues. “There is no need to stifle small businesses at birth with excessive regulation.” As one of a small group of advisers close to the prime minister since his days in the opposition benches, his departure was widely regarded as a blow to Starmer, even as his analysis of governmental focus resonates in certain quarters.