Keir Starmer Under Fire as Former Top Adviser Savages Labour Government in Explosive Live TV Clash

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing one of the most damaging moments of his leadership after his former director of strategy, Paul Ovenden, publicly tore into the Labour government during a blistering live television appearance. The extraordinary attack has ignited a political firestorm in Westminster, exposing deep fractures inside Labour and raising serious questions about Starmer’s judgment, competence, and grip on power as public approval sinks to historic lows.

Ovenden, once a key architect of Labour’s 2024 election victory, dismissed the government as distracted, unserious, and captive to fringe activist causes. Speaking with visible incredulity, he revealed that the controversial case of Abdel Fattah — an activist whose return to the UK was celebrated by Starmer — was treated as a “running joke” within Whitehall. Most damagingly, Ovenden said he was unaware the case was supposedly a top government priority, despite being Labour’s chief strategist at the time.

The scandal centers on Abdel Fattah, a British-Egyptian activist released from an Egyptian prison and welcomed back to the UK by senior figures including Starmer and the Home Secretary. However, scrutiny of Fattah’s social media history uncovered posts calling for violence against police, Zionists, and even urging the burning of Downing Street. Critics argue the revelations point to a catastrophic failure of due diligence at the highest levels of government.

Ovenden’s criticism went beyond one case, painting a bleak picture of a Labour government consumed by celebrity campaigns, activist lawyers, and what he described as the “North London dinner party circuit.” He accused ministers of governing for pressure groups rather than voters, likening the administration to a “stakeholder state” where everyone has influence except the British public. The remarks struck at the heart of Starmer’s carefully crafted image as a serious, competent leader.

The fallout has forced Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to order an urgent review into what she admitted were “serious information failures,” effectively conceding that basic checks were not carried out. The admission has fueled public anger, particularly as the UK grapples with a cost-of-living crisis, strained public services, and collapsing trust in political institutions. Opposition figures and Reform UK have seized on the episode as proof that Labour is run by out-of-touch elites.

With local and regional elections looming in May 2026, the political damage may be existential. Starmer’s net favorability has plunged to levels comparable to Boris Johnson on the day he resigned, while senior figures openly question Labour’s direction. What makes this crisis uniquely dangerous is that the most brutal critique is coming from inside Starmer’s own circle. As Ovenden’s intervention shows, when a government’s closest insiders turn public executioners, spin alone may not be enough to save it.