British police are assessing a social media post by Sarah Helm, wife of National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, after she appeared to express support for Palestine Action, a group proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom.

Helm, an author and journalist who has previously worked at the Sunday Times and as a foreign correspondent for the Independent, wrote on X: "God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action."

She was responding to a discussion about Irish novelist Sally Rooney, whose books will no longer be sold in the United Kingdom after Rooney announced she intends to use her royalties to support Palestine Action.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said on Friday: "We have been made aware of an X post on Thursday, 15 October referencing Palestine Action. It is in the process of being assessed to determine whether any further police investigation may be required."

A government spokesperson said Helm's views "are held by an individual who does not represent the government in any capacity."

The UK government proscribed Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation in July 2025, after activists from the group broke into a Royal Air Force base and sprayed red paint on two aircraft. Being a member or supporter of the group is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

Since the ban came into effect, police have arrested more than 3,500 people in the UK for alleged support of the group, according to reports. A separate source cited the figure as approximately 3,700 arrests. Around 2,500 people have been charged, but cases have not yet gone to trial. A legal challenge to the proscription is due to be heard in the Supreme Court next month.

Palestine Action describes itself as a "direct action movement" that uses "disruptive tactics." Earlier this year, four of the group's activists were jailed after causing 1.2 million pounds of damage at a UK site belonging to an Israel-based defence firm. The Court of Appeal upheld the group's proscription in June.

Reform UK MP Danny Kruger has written to the prime minister raising concerns about Helm's post. The Campaign Against Antisemitism described the post as "gobsmacking."

"Spouses are entitled to independent views, but plainly Mr Powell, who leads on our country's national security and has been intricately involved in our Middle East diplomacy, must publicly denounce this rhetoric if he is to continue in post," the group said.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski took a different view, saying: "Sarah Helm is speaking absolute common sense and should be commended for her bravery." He called for Palestine Action to be de-proscribed "immediately," describing its official designation as a terror group as "ludicrous and authoritarian."

UK-based activist group Defend Our Juries also defended Helm. "We know of 36 people who have been arrested and had their homes raided for similarly expressing support for Palestine Action on social media," a spokesperson said. "We hope Sarah will not face the same treatment for standing up for free speech and Palestinian lives."

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband last month said the government was "looking at" the Palestine Action ban, adding that he did not believe the mass arrests resulting from its proscription were "anyone's intent."

Jonathan Powell began his career as a diplomat before serving as an adviser in Tony Blair's government, where he was credited with helping negotiate a peace deal in Northern Ireland. He was appointed national security adviser by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in 2024 and retained the position under Prime Minister Andy Burnham.