Paul Ovenden was Sir Keir Starmer’s director of strategy at Number 10 from January this year until his resignation today. Mr Ovenden resigned after messages he sent making lurid sexual comments about former Labour MP Diane Abbott were leaked.
He started his career as a journalist, working at the Sunday Telegraph and Sky, before joining the Labour Party as a press officer under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership in 2014. Mr Ovenden served as deputy director of communications at the beginning of Sir Keir’s leadership.
During his time working under Sir Keir, Mr Ovenden served as the party’s director of attack and rebuttal, which saw him take responsibility for sourcing information to damage the Conservative election campaign. In the role he simultaneously worked to defend Sir Keir from political and personal attacks in the media.
He also worked as a special advisor to Sir Keir from July 2024 until his resignation today after his explicit sexual messages about Diane Abbott were obtained by ITV News.
