One of Sir Keir Starmer’s top aides has quit after it emerged he had exchanged sexually explicit messages about the veteran left-wing MP Diane Abbott.
In a fresh blow to the beleaguered prime minister, Paul Ovenden announced he was leaving his role as Downing Street’s director of strategy to avoid becoming a “distraction” after the 2017 messages were uncovered.
The former journalist, who has worked for Labour for more than a decade, had reportedly exchanged emails with a colleague at the time that included sexually explicit remarks about Ms Abbott.
Mr Ovenden’s departure comes after the resignation of Angela Rayner this month and last week’s sacking of Peter Mandelson as Britain’s ambassador to the US.
It piles pressure on the prime minister, who is facing mounting anger from Labour backbenchers over his leadership, with the party consistently lagging behind Reform UK in the polls.
Speculation is building that he could be forced out after May’s local elections if the results are as bad for Labour as expected.
In a statement to ITV News, Mr Ovenden said: “I am accused of eight years ago as a junior press officer sharing with a female colleague the details of a silly conversation that I was party to with other female staff members.
“Before summer, I had announced to some of my colleagues my intention to leave government.
“Though the messages long pre-date my current employment and relationship with the prime minister, I’ve brought forward my resignation to avoid distracting from the vital work this government is doing to positively change people’s lives.
“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,” he added.
A No 10 spokesman said: “These messages are appalling and unacceptable. As the first black woman to be elected to Parliament, Diane Abbott is a trailblazer who has faced horrendous abuse throughout her political career.
“These kinds of comments have no place in our politics.”
On Monday, Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East, said the prime minister must “change course immediately” or he will be gone by May, saying it is “inevitable” the prime minister will be forced to quit if the local elections are as bad as predicted.
It comes after Labour MP Clive Lewis warned on Friday that Sir Keir “doesn’t seem up to the job”, while fellow MP Graham Stringer said Sir Keir is “supping in the last-chance saloon”.
Ms Abbott is currently sitting as an independent after being suspended by Labour for standing by a controversial letter she wrote in 2023 comparing different types of racism based on colour.
She was originally suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party in 2023 after writing a letter to The Observer comparing racism experienced by people of colour with that seen by other groups.
She apologised for any anguish caused by the remarks, which drew criticism from Jewish and Traveller groups, and was readmitted to the party before the 2024 general election.
But in July she said she did not look back on the incident with regret.
She has been a long-standing critic of Sir Keir’s leadership and has joined Labour MPs in warning May’s local elections are a make-or-break moment for the PM.
Labour was asked to comment.
