The Metropolitan Police is assessing a social media post by the journalist and author Sarah Helm, the wife of the national security adviser, which appeared to express support for Palestine Action, a group proscribed as a terrorist organisation.
Ms Helm, who is married to Jonathan Powell, was responding on X to a post about the Irish novelist Sally Rooney. Ms Rooney announced this week that her books would no longer be sold in Britain over her plans to use her royalties to support Palestine Action.
Ms Helm wrote: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said the post is “being assessed to determine whether any further police investigation may be required”. The force has not said what brought the post to its attention.
Palestine Action was proscribed under terrorism laws last year, meaning that expressing support for the group constitutes a criminal offence.
Asked for comment, a government spokeswoman said: “These views are held by an individual who does not represent the government in any capacity.”
At a glance
- The Met says it is assessing an X post by Sarah Helm, the wife of national security adviser Jonathan Powell.
- The post appeared to express support for Palestine Action, a pro-Palestinian group banned as a terrorist organisation.
- Ms Helm was responding to news about Sally Rooney, who said her books would no longer be sold in Britain over her plans to use royalties to support the group.
- The force says the post is being assessed to decide whether any further police investigation may be required — a step short of a formal investigation.
- The government has distanced itself, saying Ms Helm does not represent it in any capacity.
What “being assessed” means
The Met’s choice of words matters. An assessment is a preliminary stage in which officers weigh whether a matter merits a full investigation. It is not the same as opening an investigation, and no arrest has been made and no charges brought in connection with the post. The force has not disclosed what prompted it to examine the post, nor how long the assessment might take.
How the row built up
- 2025: Palestine Action is proscribed under terrorism laws, making expressions of support for the group a criminal offence.
- June 2026: Four members of the group are jailed over a 2024 raid on a factory operated by the Israeli defence firm Elbit, which caused more than £1 million of damage.
- June 2026: The Court of Appeal rules that the proscription was lawful, after Palestine Action challenged the government’s ban.
- October 2026: Sally Rooney announces her books will no longer be sold in Britain over her plans to use her royalties to support Palestine Action.
- 16 October 2026: Sarah Helm responds on X; the Met confirms it is assessing her post.
Wider context
Palestine Action has carried out protests, including vandalism, in support of Palestinian causes, and denies that this amounts to terrorism. Amnesty International says more than 3,500 people have been arrested in Britain for alleged support of Palestine Action since it was banned last year, many of them for holding up placards.
The assessment puts the Met’s judgment under the spotlight on a politically sensitive issue. The force was recently told to stop criminalising street sex workers after failings highlighted by the Levy case, in a sign of the wider scrutiny facing its decision-making.
Questions about speech and its consequences have also surfaced elsewhere in the capital. A north London family recently moved their nine-year-old out of a state primary school after a teacher’s alleged remark, in a dispute that divided opinion.
