🔗 Share this article Diversions Over Alaa Abd el-Fattah Became a Running Joke, Says Former Starmer Adviser Attempts to free of Alaa Abd el-Fattah frequently diverted the Starmer administration from concentrating on core home affairs, according to one of the PM's inner circle of former advisers. Frustration Became a Source of Humour Paul Ovenden, who stood down last year as the prime minister’s director of strategy, said the case of the imprisoned activist became a “recurring punchline” among those in government exasperated with the lack of progress of change. “We'd hold long meetings on the key goals of the government, and often they would be railroaded via any other business into discussions of this individual,” he stated on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He continued, “Most of us on the political team of government were largely unaware of it – not closely following it – because it didn't affect us daily. It actually became 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 said the significant focus spent on freeing Abd el-Fattah was symptomatic of a government that has found it difficult 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 stepped down 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 Number 10, even the prime minister, who lamented last month about excessive red tape slowing government action. Ovenden said Abd el-Fattah’s case was among a number of areas where the government became distracted from its primary goals. He pointed to rows over reparations to former colonies and banning smoking in pub gardens as other instances. “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 side issues, in my opinion, we cannot justify to be using valuable time on what I consider distractions,” he said. Calls for Policy Overhaul In a separate piece, he urges the government to scale back environmental regulations, cut welfare spending and even end the guaranteed pension increase mechanism. “It is not necessary to keep picking the pockets of the wealth-generating sectors of our economy in order to fund inflation-busting pension increases for the wealthy or an unsustainable welfare system,” he argues. “We don’t have to stifle entrepreneurs 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 analysis of governmental focus finds sympathy in certain quarters.