A fresh controversy has erupted at the heart of Downing Street after the wife of Britain’s National Security Adviser, Jonathan Powell, appeared to express support for a proscribed terrorist organisation, prompting a police assessment and renewed questions about those operating at the highest levels of government. The revelations are particularly significant because Powell is no ordinary Whitehall official. He was personally appointed by Labour ministers to lead high-level negotiations with Mauritius over the future of the Chagos Islands, a strategically vital British territory that includes the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. Now, while the Government continues to defend its controversial Chagos agreement, the man entrusted with some of Britain’s most sensitive national security matters finds himself at the centre of an entirely different political storm. His wife, journalist and author Sarah Helm, wrote on X on Thursday, October 15: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.” Palestine Action has been proscribed under British terrorism legislation since July 2025, making certain forms of support for the organisation a criminal offence carrying a potential maximum prison sentence of 14 years. The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Friday that it was assessing Helm’s remarks to determine whether a further investigation was required. The force said it had been made aware of the post and was examining whether additional police action might be necessary. The fact that the wife of Britain’s National Security Adviser has attracted police attention over apparent support for a banned organisation is extraordinary enough. But Powell’s position makes the controversy particularly sensitive. On September 6, 2024, the Labour Government formally appointed him as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for negotiations concerning sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, also known as the Chagos Archipelago. … Continue reading Labour’s Chagos surrender architect Jonathan Powell faces fresh controversy as police examine wife’s support for banned terror group
