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Keir Starmer’s director of political strategy has resigned after sexually-explicit messages about veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott resurfaced after eight years.

Paul Ovenden apparently did not write the offending remarks but merely recounted them in a graphic sexualised game of “Snog, Marry, Avoid”. The messages were part of private conversations.

Ovenden expressed deep regret, but the fallout has exposed far more than personal misconduct — it threatens to reignite a long-running culture of factional hostility within the Labour Party.

These messages are part of a broader context

Ovenden’s communications were sent at a time when private messages containing sexist, racist, or politically hostile content were rife within Labour.

Between 2016 and 2018, under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, the party had become deeply factionalised. Mr Corbyn, a prominent Labour left-winger, faced repeated efforts from centrist and right-leaning factions to undermine him.

These factional battles often targeted his allies, particularly including Diane Abbott, the UK’s first black female MP, who has suffered more abuse – not just from her colleagues but from anybody – than all other MPs put together.

The attacks ranged from derogatory internal messages to online abuse and harassment. Many were made in private WhatsApp groups, emails, and other channels and were often dismissed by party officers, especially when originating from figures aligned with the centrist wing.

Labour Files and the culture of impunity

The “Labour Files” leak, published by Al Jazeera in October 2022, revealed hundreds of messages sent between 2016 and 2018 by Labour staff. The communications documented:

• Anti-Black racism and Islamophobia

• Sexism and misogyny

• Internal factional hostility against Corbyn supporters

Ovenden was not part of these messages, we’re told, but the leak demonstrates the broader culture in which his own private communications occurred.

Many of those who were implicated faced minimal or no disciplinary action at the time because Labour’s predominantly right-wing apparatchiks systemically tolerated factional hostility.

Settlements to staff named in the dossier, paid in 2025, exceeded £2 million, underlining the legal and political costs of this culture.

Diane Abbott: a repeated target

Ms Abbott, who is also Labour’s longest-serving female MP, suffered abuse after abuse.

Ovenden’s messages were part of a pattern stretching back years, that were often dismissed by the party’s disciplinary officers. What happens when repeated abuses attract no punishment? They get worse – of course.

Ovenden’s resignation matters — and it also doesn’t

Ovenden’s messages were offensive – no doubt – but the impact of his resignation is much more ambiguous than some in Labour’s current leadership might wish you to see it.

It matters because he was a senior adviser to the prime minister and his departure allows Keir Starmer to present himself as decisive, willing to act firmly against misconduct, and sensitive to the mistreatment of Diane Abbott.

By removing such a visible figure, Starmer can project accountability and discipline at a time when his government is under extraordinary pressure.

But there are also ways in which it doesn’t matter.

Ovenden’s resignation does not carry much real weight. He had already announced his intention to leave government before the summer, meaning the move comes at little personal cost and makes no real difference to his career.

In practice, it is nothing more than a symbolic sacrifice: Ovenden is a convenient sacrificial lamb, taking the blame and deflecting attention from broader cultural problems inside the Labour Party.

In summary, Starmer wants you to think the optics are powerful – but it is clear to anybody with a brain that the substance is thin.

The implications for Starmer’s leadership

Starmer’s premiership is under pressure: Angela Rayner resigned as deputy prime minister, Peter Mandelson was sacked as ambassador to the US, and criticism of Downing Street operations is mounting.

In this context, highlighting Ovenden’s historic messages allows Starmer to appear “tough on misconduct,” signalling accountability while deflecting attention from his own leadership challenges.

Lessons from the past — and a big warning for the future

Ovenden’s resignation is more than an individual case: it is symptomatic of a wider illness within Labour.

Between 2016 and 2018, factional warfare led to the systemic abuse of left-wing MPs, and this was often ignored or dismissed by those who should have punished it, while right-wing MPs did nothing. We may conclude that they believed it was in their interest to let the left take a drubbing so they could have the upper hand again.

The 2025 resignation shows little has changed apart from the victims: with the right-wingers now holding leadership positions once again, there’s no need to tolerate past misconduct – especially if it can now be leveraged to make someone like Keir Starmer appear to look good.

But if it’s all for show, then there’s no genuine change of the culture within Labour; it’s just selective enforcement designed to manage appearances.

What mechanisms are in place to prevent similar factional abuses in the future? And are they applied equally to everybody – or only to those who aren’t deemed to be friendly to the current ruling cadre?

For Abbott and other historically targeted MPs, this story is a reminder of how factional politics, private communications, and leadership strategy intersect at the expense of transparency, fairness, and justice.

Ovenden may be leaving, but in doing so he has opened a can of worms that Starmer probably hoped never to have to contain.

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