A senior aide to Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resigned after the publication of explicit and offensive text messages in which he recounted a conversation about veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott.
Paul Ovenden, formerly the prime minister’s director of political strategy, said he was "truly, deeply sorry" after messages from about eight years ago were reported by the Daily Mail. He said the texts were part of a private online conversation and that he had brought forward his departure from government to avoid distracting from ministers' work.
A spokesperson for the prime minister described the messages as "appalling and unacceptable," noting that Abbott was "the first black woman to be elected to Parliament" and "a trailblazer who has faced horrendous abuse throughout her political career." "These kinds of comments have no place in our politics," the spokesperson said.
Ovenden said in a statement to ITV News that he was accused of "sharing with a female colleague the details of a silly conversation that I was party to with other female staff members" and that the material long pre-dated his current employment and his relationship with the prime minister. He added that he had informed some colleagues before the summer of his intention to leave government and had decided to resign earlier than planned to avoid causing further disruption.
The messages are understood to relay an account from a party where colleagues allegedly made explicit remarks about Abbott. The reporting prompted opposition for swift action given Ovenden’s senior role in Downing Street and the sensitivity of remarks directed at a prominent Black MP.
Abbott has represented Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987 and is the longest-serving female MP in the House of Commons. Earlier this year she was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party over comments she made about racism.
Ovenden served previously as a press officer for the Labour Party before becoming director of political strategy. His resignation was confirmed by Downing Street after the messages were publicised. In his statement he said: "As an advisor, my duty is to protect the reputation of the prime minister and his government. While it is chilling that a private conversation from nearly a decade ago can do this sort of damage, I am also truly, deeply sorry for it and the hurt it will cause."
The incident adds to scrutiny of behaviour within political parties and of communications by senior advisers. Downing Street did not announce a replacement immediately. Media outlets that reported the text messages said they dated from Ovenden’s time as a junior press officer.
Labour leaders have in recent years faced public and internal pressure over conduct and comments involving MPs and staff, and the party has taken disciplinary steps in several high-profile cases. The government’s swift condemnation of the messages underlined an intent to distance the prime minister’s office from remarks deemed offensive.
No further disciplinary details were released by Downing Street, and Diane Abbott did not immediately comment publicly on the reports. The resignation leaves questions about how the prime minister’s political operation will be reshaped in the short term as it continues its legislative and policy agenda.