Police look at Palestine Action post by wife of UK security adviser Jonathan Powell

The story

Britain's national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, is under pressure after his wife, the writer Sarah Helm, posted a message on social media backing Palestine Action, a group that is banned in the UK.

Police are now assessing the post. Downing Street moved quickly to put distance between the government and the comment, saying Helm "does not represent the government in any capacity."

Helm wrote the post while defending the Irish novelist Sally Rooney. Rooney has said she was forced to pull her books from shelves in the UK after promising to give money from their sales to Palestine Action.

The group is proscribed in Britain, and showing support for a proscribed organisation can be an offence under the country's terrorism laws. That is why a single post from a private citizen has drawn so much attention.

Powell is one of the most senior officials around Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and he is now being urged to distance himself from his wife's words. Whether the police take any further step will depend on the outcome of their assessment.