Starmer urged to tackle 'rotten' No 10 culture after aide sacked over lewd messages about Diane Abbott

A senior aide to Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned on Monday after the emergence of old messages in which he relayed sexually explicit and derogatory comments about Labour MP Diane Abbott, prompting renewed criticism of the culture around No 10 Downing Street and calls for an independent inquiry.

Paul Ovenden, who had been serving as Starmer’s director of strategy, quit after messages sent in 2017 while he worked as a Labour Party press officer were published. The messages, included in excerpts from a forthcoming book, recount a crude "shag, marry, kill" exchange and a story involving a sex toy and multiple sexual acts directed at Abbott, who is 71.

Abbott described the messages as "very unpleasant" and likened them to material revealed by the Martin Forde inquiry three years ago into allegations of bullying, racism and sexism within the Labour Party. Ovenden issued an apology, saying he was "truly, deeply sorry" for any hurt the messages had caused and that he had resigned to avoid becoming a distraction to the prime minister.

The disclosure prompted swift political reaction. Labour MP Rachael Maskell, who recently had the party whip suspended after rebelling over welfare reforms, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the incident exposed a "rotten" culture "festering" around No 10 and renewed her call for an independent investigation into decision-making and personnel practices within Downing Street.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the messages evidenced the prime minister’s "bad judgment" in appointments, arguing that the episode showed an absence of the high standards of behaviour expected in government. Opposition figures and some within Labour warned the revelations could be followed by further disclosures, noting the messages were circulated via internal Labour Party communications.

The messages feature in a soon-to-be-published book by investigative journalist Paul Holden, titled The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney and the Crisis of British Democracy. Holden told broadcasters he expected further revelations about senior figures at the heart of government to emerge alongside the book, which, according to its publisher’s synopsis, examines a political project now occupying influential positions in Westminster.

Ovenden’s resignation is the latest personnel setback for the prime minister, coming shortly after the departures of senior figures including Angela Rayner and Lord Peter Mandelson, which have already prompted scrutiny of staffing and strategy at the centre of government.

Labour officials said they would not comment beyond acknowledging the resignation. The episode adds to longstanding concerns within the party about conduct and culture; critics pointed to parallels with findings of past inquiries into bullying and discriminatory behaviour and urged clarity on what vetting and oversight had been in place when the messages were sent and when Ovenden was appointed to a senior role in No 10.

Downing Street has so far limited public comment to statements that the government expects high standards of professionalism and that ministers and aides should be held to account. The controversy is likely to increase pressure on the prime minister to set out steps to address internal culture and the procedures used to assess appointments in his office.