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Police take no further action over Sarah Helm's Palestine Action post on X
The Metropolitan police said on Saturday that no further action will be taken against journalist Sarah Helm over an X post about Palestine Action, after specialist officers found the Palestine Action post police decision threshold was not met.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 17, 2026
• 2 Min Read
The post and the assessment
The Metropolitan police closed the case on Saturday, saying a post by Sarah Helm, a journalist and author married to national security adviser Jonathan Powell, did not meet the criminal threshold.
Helm had written on X on Thursday: "God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action."
The force said on Friday that the post was being assessed to determine whether any further police investigation may be required. A Met spokesperson said on Saturday that the force became aware of the post on Thursday 15 October and that specialist officers assessed it.
The post was assessed by specialist officers and it was determined that it did not meet the criminal threshold
There was understood to be insufficient evidence that the post was capable of encouraging support for a proscribed organisation.
What Palestine Action's ban means
Membership of, or support for, Palestine Action became an offence when the group was proscribed in July 2025. It is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
Context: Sally Rooney discussion
Helm's post came in response to a discussion around Irish author Sally Rooney, who says she can no longer sell her books in the UK because of her support for Palestine Action.
Government and CAA reactions
Before the police decision, Downing Street had distanced itself from Helm's remarks. A government spokesperson said:
These views are held by an individual who does not represent the government in any capacity.
- •The Campaign Against Antisemitism had called on the police to investigate the post.
- •The group said spouses are entitled to independent views but that the post raises extremely serious questions for Jonathan Powell and the government.
- •It also said the police need to investigate and that Sarah Helm must face the full force of the law.
The matter ended with Saturday's Metropolitan police no further action announcement.
