Police take no further action over Sarah Helm’s Palestine Action post

Police will take no further action against Sarah Helm, wife of the UK government’s national security adviser, over a social media post referring to Palestine Action, the Metropolitan Police said on Saturday. Specialist officers assessed the post and concluded it did not meet the criminal threshold, the force said. [1]

Helm, who is married to Jonathan Powell, wrote on X on Thursday: “God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.” She was responding to a discussion about author Sally Rooney, who has said she intends to donate royalties to the proscribed group. [1]

The Met had said on Friday that it was assessing the post to decide whether further investigation was needed. Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation in July 2025; support for the group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. [1]

Rooney’s publisher, Faber, has said it cannot sell her novels in the UK after she announced her intention to support the group. [1]