Police end review of national security adviser’s wife’s Palestine Action post
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The Metropolitan Police have ended their review of Sarah Helm’s post on X, saying it did not meet the criminal threshold and that no further action will be taken. Helm, who is married to the government’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell, had written in support of authors who back Palestine and Palestine Action.
Her post followed discussion of Sally Rooney’s plan to donate royalties to Palestine Action, which was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025. Supporting the group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Rooney’s publisher, Faber, said it could not sell her novels in the UK.
- Police will take no further action over Sarah Helm’s post.
- The Met said it did not meet the criminal threshold.
- Rooney’s novels cannot be sold by Faber in the UK.
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Palestine Action is a protest group whose members have targeted companies linked to the Israeli arms trade. The UK government proscribed it as a terrorist organisation in July 2025, making some forms of support for the group a criminal offence.
Sally Rooney is an Irish novelist whose books are published in the UK by Faber. Her stated intention to donate royalties to Palestine Action prompted a debate about the group and what support for it means; Sarah Helm joined that discussion on social media and is married to Jonathan Powell, the government’s national security adviser.
The story touches on the boundary between political expression and the law, as well as the scrutiny that can arise when the family of a senior government official comments on a contentious issue.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The police decision can be seen as a proportionate application of the criminal threshold: Helm expressed a religious wish for people who support Palestine Action to receive God’s help, and the review found no basis for further action. Protecting freedom of expression means distinguishing even provocative or unpopular speech from conduct that the law makes criminal.
The case against
Given that Palestine Action is proscribed and public support for it can carry a prison sentence, critics may argue that statements about support for the group warrant careful scrutiny, especially when made by the spouse of a senior national security official. They may also question whether the police have explained clearly enough how they assessed the post against the law, while recognising that scrutiny does not itself establish an offence.
Full account
The Metropolitan Police has ended its review of a social media post by Sarah Helm, the wife of the government’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell. The force said specialist officers assessed the post and found that it did not meet the criminal threshold. No further police action will be taken.
Helm wrote on X: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.” The post was made in response to a discussion involving Irish author Sally Rooney, who has said she intends to use royalties from her books to support Palestine Action. Rooney’s publisher, Faber, has said it cannot sell her novels in the UK while the group is proscribed.
Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025. Supporting or belonging to it is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. Rooney’s decision has also prompted debate about the effects of the proscription: Faber’s position means titles including Normal People and Conversations with Friends will not be supplied to UK booksellers.
The police had said on Friday that Helm’s post was being assessed to determine whether further investigation was needed. The Campaign Against Antisemitism called for an investigation and said the post raised questions about Powell. Downing Street distanced the government from Helm’s remarks, saying she did not represent it in any capacity.
Where outlets differ
The first report describes Helm’s post as referring to Palestine and Palestine Action, and gives the police’s Saturday statement that specialist officers assessed it. The second calls her accused of backing the group and says the post followed a comment by Times Radio pundit Adam Boulton accusing Rooney of antisemitism; it also includes the Campaign Against Antisemitism’s response and Downing Street’s statement.
The first report gives more detail about Rooney’s publishing arrangements, the titles affected and Palestine Action’s stated aims. The second foregrounds the call for police to investigate and the political reaction. Both report that police found no criminal threshold was met and will take no further action.
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Originally published by BBC Technology as “No further action against government adviser’s wife over Palestine Action post, police say”.