Story perspectives

Met Police reviews Sarah Helm post referencing Palestine Action

By Drooid · Oct 16, 2026, 10:00 PM UTC · How we work

Center

Supreme Court challenge

Metropolitan Police are assessing a post by Sarah Helm, wife of national security adviser Jonathan Powell, referencing the proscribed group Palestine Action on 15 October 2026.
Critics, Reform UK MP Danny Kruger, urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to press Powell to repudiate his wife’s comments and reconsider the proscription.
A No 10 spokeswoman said Sarah Helm does not represent the government.
Roughly 2,500 people were charged, with a Supreme Court challenge scheduled for next month.

Left

Mass Arrests

Metropolitan Police are assessing a social-media post by Sarah Helm, wife of national security adviser Jonathan Powell, referencing the proscribed group Palestine Action on 15 October 2026.
Coverage emphasizes that the ban suppresses free expression, resulting in thousands of arrests of peaceful protesters and writers.
Amnesty International reported more than 3,500 arrests since July 2025 proscription.
Defend Our Juries called the ban absurdly authoritarian and urged authorities not to prosecute Helm.

History

Historical Context

After the 1969 split that created the Official and Provisional IRA, the organization’s membership had fallen to fewer than 2,000 after civil war. The 1972 Official IRA cease-fire, and the government’s intense response, are invoked today as a precedent in current public debates over the proscription of Palestine Action.

1 of 3

Supreme Court challenge

Metropolitan Police are assessing a post by Sarah Helm, wife of national security adviser Jonathan Powell, referencing the proscribed group Palestine Action on 15 October 2026.
Critics, Reform UK MP Danny Kruger, urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to press Powell to repudiate his wife’s comments and reconsider the proscription.
A No 10 spokeswoman said Sarah Helm does not represent the government.
Roughly 2,500 people were charged, with a Supreme Court challenge scheduled for next month.

1 / 3