UK national security adviser under pressure over wife’s comment on supporting Palestine Action

<p>Author Sarah Helm, married to Jonathan Powell, wrote to back novelist Sally Rooney’s support of proscribed direct action group</p><p>The UK’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, is under pressure to distance himself from a comment made by his wife, the award-winning writer <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/sarah-helm">Sarah Helm</a>, in support of Palestine Action.</p><p>The post was made in defence of the critically acclaimed Irish novelist Sally Rooney, who said she had been forced <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/14/sally-rooney-says-she-can-no-longer-sell-books-in-the-uk-because-of-palestine-action-support">to pull her books from shelves</a> in the UK after pledging proceeds from their sales to Palestine Action.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/oct/16/uk-national-security-adviser-jonathan-powell-sarah-helm-sally-rooney-palestine-action">Continue reading...</a>