Keir Starmer's senior aide resigns over 'explicit messages about Diane Abbott'

Keir Starmer's director of strategy has resigned from Downing Street after messages were leaked in which he allegedly made lurid and sexually explicit comments about veteran MP Diane Abbott.

Paul Ovenden, one of the PM's closest aides, reportedly said he was leaving No10 over an "inappropriate" conversation he had with colleagues while working in Labour's press team in 2017.

In the alleged messages, Mr Ovenden tells his colleague that he had played a more explicit version of the game "snog, marry, avoid" the night before. He said he had played a game of "shag, marry, kill", adding: "I nearly wet myself from laughing."

The messages, which wereleaked to ITV News, then show Mr Ovenden describing how they had discussed a sex toy and a sexual act in relation to Ms Abbott. Mr Ovenden himself adds that the conversation was "outrageous". The messages reportedly took place on Labour's internal instant messaging system.

Mr Ovenden served as Labour's director of communications from 2020 until Labour won the election, when he joined Mr Starmer's No10 team. He was previously a press officer for the party from 2014-2017, at the end of Ed Miliband's time as leader and throughout Jeremy Corbyn's tenure.

A government source said Mr Ovenden's departure would "hurt" across government and within Labour government. "He has been one of the most supportive directors in government to young talent," they said. "Constantly enabling colleagues and helping them develop. His departure will hurt across Whitehall and in party HQ."

Speaking this morning, before the story broke, Ms Abbott said "it will be over" for Mr Starmer if he doesn't turn his government's fortunes around by the local elections in May. "I think if we do as badly as people say, well, it will be the case then that Starmer's future as Labour leader and Labour prime minister will be over, really," she told Times Radio.

The veteran MP, who was suspended from Labourafter she doubled down on comments about racism she had previously apologised for, said Mr Starmer is "not in a good place". "All I can say is a lot of MPs are very unhappy," she said. "Not just the Mandelson stuff, the Angela Rayner stuff. That reshuffle, a lot of MPs are unhappy. And he's just not in a good place."

READ MORE: Join our Mirror politics WhatsApp group to get the latest updates from Westminster