Police clear wife of UK national security adviser over Palestine Action post

Sally Rooney said she intended to use her royalties to support Palestine Action, the group proscribed in the UK as a terrorist organisation. Her publisher, Faber, then stopped supplying her books in the United Kingdom while continuing to sell them elsewhere.

It was against that dispute that Sarah Helm, an author and journalist married to the government’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell, wrote on X on Thursday: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.” Helm had been responding to a Sky News discussion about Rooney.

Faber said current UK legislation meant it could not pass UK earnings to Rooney for her work. “As such, and in full agreement with Sally, we have taken the decision that we can no longer supply her works in the UK in any format,” the publisher said.

Helm’s post put Powell, the government’s national security adviser, at the centre of a political row through his family connection. Powell was appointed to the role in 2024 by Sir Keir Starmer and remained in post when Andy Burnham became prime minister. He previously advised Tony Blair’s government and was credited with negotiating a peace deal in Northern Ireland.

Police were alerted to Helm’s post on Thursday, 15 October. On Friday, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said it “is in the process of being assessed to determine whether any further police investigation may be required”.

Danny Kruger, a Reform UK MP, wrote to the prime minister raising concerns about the post. The Campaign Against Antisemitism called it “gobsmacking” and said “the police need to investigate and ms Helm must face the full force of the law”.

A government spokesperson said Helm’s comments do “not represent the government in any capacity”.

On Saturday, police concluded that Helm’s post did not meet the criminal threshold. No further police action will be taken.

The UK government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist group in 2025. The ban made belonging to or supporting the organisation a criminal offence, carrying a possible prison sentence of up to 14 years.

Police have arrested more than 3,500 people in the UK for alleged support of Palestine Action since the ban took effect. Around 2,500 have been charged, though the cases have yet to reach trial because a legal challenge to the proscription is due to be heard in the Supreme Court next month.