UK police probe pro-Palestine post by wife of Burnham Adviser

• The Metropolitan Police are assessing an X post by Sarah Helm, wife of National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell.
• The post defended Irish novelist Sally Rooney, whose books are no longer on sale in Britain after she pledged to support Palestine Action.
• Downing Street says Helm does not speak for the government.
• The Supreme Court is due to hear a challenge to the Palestine Action ban before the end of the year.

British police are assessing a social media post by Sarah Helm, the wife of UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, after she appeared to express support for Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian activist group proscribed under British terrorism laws. 

Helm, a journalist and author, wrote on X on Thursday, October 15: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.”

Her comment came amid a growing controversy over Irish novelist Sally Rooney, who announced this week that her books would no longer be supplied for sale in the UK because of her support for the group.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said on Friday that the post was “being assessed to determine whether any further police investigation may be required”. The statement does not mean that a formal criminal investigation has been opened or that Helm has been charged with an offence. 

A government spokesperson said Helm’s views did not represent the government in any capacity, distancing the administration from the comments. 

God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action. Sounds like Adam would have all our books swept off the shelves in a jiffy.

— Sarah Helm (@SarahHelm1) October 15, 2026

Rooney’s books withdrawn from UK sale

Rooney, best known for her novels Normal People and Conversations with Friends, said on Wednesday that her publisher, Faber, had decided to stop supplying her books in the UK because it could no longer legally pass on British earnings to her.

The author had previously pledged to donate proceeds from her work to Palestine Action. She said the group’s proscription under UK law meant that continuing to fulfil publishing contracts could expose those involved to potential criminal liability. Rooney agreed to the withdrawal of her books and said she was prepared to accept the consequences of her position. 

Palestine Action was proscribed by the UK government in July 2025, following a break-in at Royal Air Force Brize Norton in which activists damaged two military aircraft. Under the legislation, membership of or support for the group can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years. The group has challenged its proscription through the courts.

Calls for police action

Helm’s post drew criticism from the Campaign Against Antisemitism, which called for police to investigate her comments and urged Powell to publicly distance himself from them. The controversy has also prompted debate about the legal limits on expressing support for a proscribed organisation and the implications for freedom of expression