UK cops looking into post supporting Palestine Action by wife of Burnham’s top security aide

British police are assessing a social media post by Sarah Helm, wife of UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's national security adviser Jonathan Powell, after she appeared to express support for Palestine Action, a banned anti-Israel group. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said the post is being assessed. The Campaign Against Antisemitism called for investigation.

British police said on Friday they were assessing a social media post after Sarah Helm, the wife of UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham's national security adviser Jonathan Powell, appeared to express support for Palestine Action, an anti-Israel group banned as a terrorist organization. Helm, a journalist and author, responded on X to a post about Irish novelist Sally Rooney, who this week announced her books would no longer be sold in Britain over her plans to use her royalties to support Palestine Action. 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." Palestine Action was banned after a June 2025 break-in at the Royal Air Force's Brize Norton base. Expressing support for the group is a criminal offense. A government spokeswoman said Helm's views "do not represent the government in any capacity." The Campaign Against Antisemitism called for investigation and urged Powell to denounce the rhetoric. Helm regularly comments against Israel on her X account, which has over 1,000 followers, including Palestine Action co-founder Huda Ammori. The article notes that Amnesty International says more than 3,500 people have been arrested in Britain for alleged support of Palestine Action since the ban.