Author and critics say upcoming tell‑all contains more damaging revelations for Starmer after aide quits over messages
Paul Ovenden resigned as No 10 director of strategy after explicit messages about Diane Abbott surfaced; author Paul Holden and allies say the book will disclose further material about senior figures.
A forthcoming book alleging misconduct at the centre of Keir Starmer's administration contains "more damning revelations," its author and allies of the Labour left said on Tuesday, after a senior Downing Street aide resigned following the circulation of explicit messages about former MP Diane Abbott.
Paul Ovenden, who until Monday served as director of strategy at No 10, stepped down after messages sent in 2017 via internal Labour communications were reported. The messages, described in media accounts as derogatory and sexual in nature, were cited by the publisher and the book's author as among material to be published.
The book, titled The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy, was written by Paul Holden and is due to be published next month, the publisher OR Books said. Holden told reporters he would not "name names" ahead of publication but said the work concerned a "narrow political project" that now occupies positions of power and that "a lot more revelations" about senior figures in government, cabinet ministers and Number 10 advisers were due to emerge.
OR Books described the Ovenden messages as "the tip of the iceberg" among the book's revelations. Left‑wing commentators and former Labour staffers quoted by the publisher said the book would be "devastating" and could cause further damage to the prime minister's administration. Owen Jones was quoted as saying there would be "a lot more damning revelations to come," while Alex Nunns, a former speechwriter for Jeremy Corbyn, said he had heard the book contained "lots of other revelations Starmer and McSweeney really don't need right now." Zarah Sultana, a former Labour MP launching a new left‑wing party with Mr Corbyn, described the book as "damning and deeply evidenced."
Ovenden had been identified in media reports as a close ally of Morgan McSweeney, Sir Keir's chief of staff. The resignation removes a senior strategist from Number 10 and comes amid a series of setbacks for the prime minister as he seeks to move into what his team has described as a second phase of government.
Over the past two weeks, Sir Keir has faced multiple controversies. His deputy, Angela Rayner, resigned as deputy prime minister following a dispute over tax arrangements that prompted a wider ministerial reshuffle. Lord Peter Mandelson was removed from his post as Britain's ambassador to the United States after reporting linked him to the late Jeffrey Epstein; Downing Street said his position had become untenable. The departures, and Ovenden's exit in particular, have prompted renewed scrutiny of the conduct and stability of the prime minister's inner team.
The author and publisher said the book will set out a broader account of what they characterise as problems within the Labour leadership's direction and staffing. They did not provide further details of the alleged additional revelations ahead of the book's release. Media organisations and political commentators publicised excerpts and claims from the forthcoming work on Tuesday; the material has not yet been subject to independent verification beyond the accounts provided by the author and publisher.
No comment from Downing Street or Labour spokespersons was included in the publisher's announcement. The book is scheduled for publication next month, and its release is likely to intensify public and parliamentary scrutiny of the composition and conduct of the prime minister's senior team.