Met Police assess Sarah Helm post as she doubles down on Palestine Action
Police are assessing a post by Sarah Helm, wife of Jonathan Powell, that appeared to support Palestine Action; she has doubled down amid criticism.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The Metropolitan Police are assessing a social media post by Sarah Helm, the wife of the UK's national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, which appeared to express support for the proscribed group Palestine Action.
The post was made in response to a television debate about the author Sally Rooney's position. Rooney had said she would not sell her books in the UK because she planned to give some royalties to Palestine Action. The account belonging to Ms Helm wrote: 'God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.'
Ms Helm later posted again. She thanked supporters and said: 'As an 83 year old survivor of the Nakba and one of my many friends in Rafah, quotes, brackets, now obliterated, said to me when I was last there, keep writing, Sarah, we need all the pencils we can get.' The original post remained online, and she appeared to stand by it.
Palestine Action was banned by the government last year, making it illegal to support the group. Thousands of people have been arrested for expressing support. The courts are due to look at the proscription in the coming weeks.
The government has said Ms Helm's views are those of an individual who has no say on government policy. The Campaign Against Antisemitism called the views 'gobsmacking' and said the police should investigate. Reform UK wrote to the Prime Minister raising concerns. The Green Party called Ms Helm brave and said the government should deprescribe Palestine Action.
Mr Powell is a senior civil servant in Downing Street, the national security adviser and Britain's chief negotiator with Israel. Commentators have questioned whether he can stay in post, and he has not publicly commented. The Metropolitan Police have said only that they are examining the post. No arrest or prosecution has been announced.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| The Metropolitan Police are reviewing a social media post by the wife of the UK national security adviser that appeared to back Palestine Action. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| Helm published a follow-up post thanking supporters and describing herself as an 83-year-old survivor of the Nakba. | Not reported by BBC One | |
| Jonathan Powell is the UK's chief negotiator with Israel, which increases political pressure on him. | Not reported by BBC One | |
| The government said the post reflected an individual's views and that the individual has no say over government policy. | Not reported by GB News | |
| The UK government banned Palestine Action last year, and thousands of people have been arrested for expressing support for it. | Not reported by GB News | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West gave a straight news report from Westminster, leading on the Met Police assessment and explaining the proscription context. It balanced official reaction, criticism from antisemitism and Reform UK, and Green Party support, without calling for resignations. Its focus stayed on the legal and political awkwardness for Number 10 rather than the couple's private relationship.
- “the Metropolitan Police say they are assessing a social media post by the wife of the UK's national security adviser, which appeared to indicate support for the prescribed group, Palestine Action.”
- “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.”
- “The government has said that these are the views of an individual who doesn't have any say on government policy”
GB News treated the story as a major political crisis and discussed it in a highly opinionated panel format. It focused on Sarah Helm's follow-up post, the possibility of prosecution, claims of special treatment, and whether Jonathan Powell can remain as chief negotiator with Israel. The tone was urgent and critical, with speculation about his job and his silence.
- “For me, this is probably the big story that's going to be leading, I think, a lot of the news tomorrow.”
- “She's doubled that. Oh, wow. That was two minutes ago. Literally just seen it.”
- “I mean this could cost her husband his job.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.