Ex-Aide to Keir Starmer Criticizes Government's Loss of Control to External Bodies
Paul Ovenden, former director of political strategy and ex-aide to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, resigned in September last year after old offensive messages from 2017 surfaced. Since then, he has criticized the current government for ceding too much power to arm's-length bodies, quangos, activists, lawyers, and regulators.
Ovenden highlighted the recent case of Alaa Abd El Fattah, a British-Egyptian activist jailed in Egypt for over a decade for allegedly spreading fake news about torture, as an example of how Whitehall misallocates time and attention. Abd El Fattah was released in September after lobbying efforts and arrived in the UK last week.
On BBC Radio 4 Today, Ovenden argued that Starmer should regain control of democratic levers, stating that the government is overly constrained by external actors. He described the current focus on such issues as distractions, claiming politicians have effectively handed away power and risk to external bodies and networks.
Ovenden cited debates over colonial reparations and proposals to ban vaping in pub gardens as examples of such distractions. He advocates for scaling back certain legal obligations and regulatory mechanisms, including environmental rules affecting building and the ability to challenge policies through judicial reviews.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially welcomed Abd El Fattah and said his case was a top priority. However, criticism arose after social media posts calling for harm to Zionists and police officers surfaced. Starmer stated he was unaware of these posts and apologized. The government is currently reviewing the situation.
