No further action will be taken against Sarah Helm, the wife of the prime minister’s national security adviser, after she was accused of supporting the banned protest group Palestine Action. Helm, a journalist and author who is married to Jonathan Powell, posted on X on Thursday: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.” The Metropolitan police said on Friday the post was “in the process of being assessed to determine whether any further police investigation may be required”. In an update on Saturday, a force spokesperson said: “On Thursday 15 October, we were made aware of a post on X relating to Palestine Action.
No further police action will be taken.” Helm was responding on X to a discussion about the Irish author Sally Rooney, who has said she can no longer sell her books in the UK because of her support for Palestine Action. It is understood there was insufficient evidence that the post was capable of encouraging support for a proscribed organisation. The ban, which began in July 2025, made membership or support of the direct action group a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Downing Street has distanced itself from Helm’s remarks. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) had called on the police to investigate. The group acknowledged that “spouses are entitled to independent views”, but said Helm’s post “raises extremely serious questions for Jonathan Powell and the government.
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