Sarah Helm backed Sally Rooney on X after Rooney’s books were withdrawn from the UK market over her support for Palestine Action. Helm wrote that authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action could see their books swept off shelves, putting her at the center of a dispute that has already drawn calls for a police investigation.
Helm wrote, "God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action. Sounds like Adam would have all our books swept off the shelves in a jiffy." She is the wife of Jonathan Powell, who served as former prime minister Keir Starmer's adviser on national security, foreign policy and intelligence.
Adam Boulton on Thursday
The exchange followed Adam Boulton’s remarks on Sky News on Thursday, when he accused Rooney of taking a "very strong pro-Palestine, and, I have to say, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish stance". On Wednesday, Rooney said she had written an opinion piece expressing her intention to keep supporting Palestine Action.
This week, Rooney’s books were withdrawn from sale in the UK after her support for Palestine Action became part of the fallout around public expressions of support for the group. Keir Starmer's Labour government proscribed Palestine Action in July 2025, and support for or membership of it can lead to a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
Campaign Against Antisemitism
Helm is facing calls for a police investigation from pro-Israel groups including the Campaign Against Antisemitism. Defend Our Juries said 36 people have been arrested and had their homes raided for similarly expressing support for Palestine Action on social media, and Marji Mansfield said counter-terrorism officers came to her home over a few seconds of social media footage.
Mansfield said, "I’m a 70-year-old grandmother who was arrested for defying this ban. Counter-terrorism officers have even come to my home over a few seconds of social media footage expressing support for Palestine Action." The same ban has also led to thousands of arrests for holding placards in support of the group, showing how quickly a post on X can move from comment to potential police attention.
Sarah Helm wrote about Gaza in her 2025 book, Gaza: The Long Road to Destruction, 1870-2024, which includes interviews with survivors of the 1948 Nakba. She has also previously written for Middle East Eye and worked as a foreign correspondent for The Independent, putting her response to Rooney into the context of a long record of writing on Palestine and Israel.
What happens next is whether any police investigation follows the calls now being made against Helm. For authors, the immediate practical reality is that public support for Palestine Action is no longer just a publishing dispute; it can trigger arrest, property searches, and, under the ban, criminal exposure.
