Author Sarah Helm calls for Palestine Action ban to be lifted

Sarah Helm, an author and the wife of the UK's national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, has called for the government's ban on the group Palestine Action to be lifted, according to The National, which reported the call on October 20, 2026.

Palestine Action is a direct-action group that the UK government has proscribed, meaning it has formally banned the organisation. Helm had earlier written in support of the novelist Sally Rooney, who has backed the group. In a post on X, she wrote: "God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action."

On October 16, British police said they were assessing a social media post by Helm that expressed support for the group, according to Reuters. The same day, Downing Street said Helm "does not represent the government in any capacity." The Guardian reported that Powell faced pressure over his wife's statements.

Helm has been accused of acting like a "hardened anti-Israel activist", according to The Times. The BBC reported that no further action was taken against her. On Monday, October 19, she responded on X to a question about whether her husband had been involved in the decision to ban Palestine Action.