Police take no action over Sarah Helm’s Palestine Action post

Summary

UK police will take no further action over Sarah Helm’s X post referring to Palestine Action, saying it did not meet the criminal threshold, according to The Guardian, BBC, The Times of Israel and Al Jazeera. Helm, a journalist and author and wife of national security adviser Jonathan Powell, posted on Thursday, The Guardian reports; the BBC says she was responding to a discussion about author Sally Rooney. This follows earlier reports that police were assessing whether the post warranted further investigation.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   17 Oct 2026, 19:47 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that no further action will be taken against Sarah Helm over her post, which it says does not meet the criminal threshold.

2. BBC

   17 Oct 2026, 20:24 UTCSource ↗

   The BBC reports that police say no further action will be taken against Helm, who was responding to a discussion about author Sally Rooney.

3. The Times of Israel

   17 Oct 2026, 20:33 UTCSource ↗

   The Times of Israel reports that police said Helm’s post expressing support for Sally Rooney did not meet the criminal threshold for backing a proscribed group.

4. Al Jazeera

   18 Oct 2026, 04:46 UTCSource ↗

   Al Jazeera reports that the Metropolitan Police ruled out a probe, saying Helm’s X post, seen as endorsing Palestine Action, did not meet the criminal threshold.