🔗 Share this article Distractions Over Abd el-Fattah Were a Recurring Gag, Says Former Starmer Aide Attempts to free of the British-Egyptian activist regularly distracted the Starmer administration from focusing on core home affairs, according to one of the prime minister’s closest former advisers. A 'Running Joke' Within Government Paul Ovenden, who stepped down last year as the prime minister’s director of strategy, claimed the case of the imprisoned activist became a “recurring punchline” among those in government 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 discussions of this gentleman,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He added, “The majority on the political side of government were largely unaware of it – not closely following it – because it didn’t impact us daily. It truly turned into a bit of a kind of a running joke within government that people would always find a way to bring it back to this topic.” A Sign of Wider Struggles Ovenden said the significant focus dedicated to the activist's case was symptomatic of a government that has struggled to remain concentrated on the public's main concerns in the face of pressure from “well-connected” campaign organisations and arms-length bodies. Ovenden’s comments came in his initial public statement since he stepped down in September, after it was revealed he had sent offensive texts about the Labour MP Diane Abbott eight years ago. Shared Frustrations in Downing Street However, Ovenden’s assessment is echoed by many in Downing Street, including the prime minister, who lamented last month about excessive red tape delaying 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 controversies over compensation for historical injustices and prohibiting cigarettes in outdoor hospitality areas as further examples. “At a time when the public is getting increasingly impatient, more and more fed up with inaction, more and more fed up with distraction, in my opinion, we cannot justify to be spending their time on what I consider distractions,” he said. Calls for Policy Overhaul In a further article, he calls on the government to scale back green rules, cut welfare spending and even scrap the guaranteed pension increase mechanism. “We don’t have to keep taking money of the wealth-generating sectors of our economy in order to fund inflation-busting pension increases for the wealthy or an unaffordable benefits framework,” he writes. “There is no need to strangle entrepreneurs from the outset with excessive regulation.” As one of a small group of advisers around the prime minister since his days in opposition, his exit was widely regarded as a blow to Starmer, even as his analysis of governmental focus resonates in certain quarters.