Author Sarah Helm Defends Sally Rooney as Publisher Pulls Her Books over Palestine Action Support

Sarah Helm, married to Jonathan Powell—the national security adviser to Prime Minister Andy Burnham—took to X to support Sally Rooney after UK publishers withdrew Rooney's titles following her pledge to aid Palestine Action. Helm, a veteran journalist and author of a 2025 history of Gaza, criticized a commentator at one outlet for labeling pro-Palestine views as anti-Israel. Powell, a former senior official under Tony Blair, has a record of opposing sanctions on Israeli settlements.

In July 2025, the Labour government proscribed Palestine Action, criminalising any endorsement of the direct-action group that targets weapons manufacturers linked to Israel, with penalties up to 14 years. Rooney’s statement that she would channel book-sale profits to the group led publishers to pull her books from UK shelves, and she cancelled a planned trip to England to accept a literary award over arrest fears. The dispute will be examined by the Supreme Court later this year, while Amnesty International UK warned the law threatens artistic freedom and peaceful dissent. Pro-Israel organisations, including the Campaign Against Antisemitism, have called for a police investigation into Helm’s comments.