Paul Ovenden Resigns as Starmer Adviser Following Release of 2017 Offensive Messages About Diane Abbott
On 15 September 2025, Paul Ovenden, who was serving as the Director of Strategy at Number 10 and a senior adviser to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, officially resigned from his position after details emerged of messages he had sent in 2017 that were considered sexually explicit and offensive toward Labour MP Diane Abbott. These revelations sparked a political stir and raised questions about professional conduct within government circles. The incident in question took place in 2017, during Ovenden’s tenure as a junior press officer within the Labour Party. At that time, he engaged in private conversations with colleagues via internal messaging platforms. In these exchanges, Ovenden made remarks about Diane Abbott that were both derogatory and sexualized, including references to crude games and explicit sexual content. Some messages contained detailed descriptions of hypothetical sexual acts, as well as inappropriate discussions involving sex toys. The communications were shared priva...