By Sam Courtney-Guy

Copyright metro

Paul Ovenden, Labour’s director of strategy, made the lewd comments on Labour’s internal messaging system (Picture: Rex)

One of Keir Starmer’s most senior advisers has resigned over leaked messages about a game of ‘sh*g, marry, kill’ featuring Diane Abbott played with Labour Party colleagues.

Paul Ovenden used the party’s internal messaging system in 2017 to tell another colleague he had a ‘story that will make you lol [laugh out loud] from last night’.

He recounted having ‘outrageous’ conversations about hypothetical sex acts involving Ms Abbott, including the use of a sex toy.

Downing Street branded the exchange ‘appalling and unacceptable’.

Mr Ovenden, who earned up to £120,000 a year as Sir Keir’s director of strategy, wrote the messages while employed in the party’s press team when Jeremy Corbyn was leader and Ms Abbott was shadow home secretary.

He admitted the comments were ‘inappropriate’ but said they were ‘details of a silly conversation’ which happened when he was a junior staffer.

It’s the third embarrassing resignation Starmer has suffered recently, following deputy leader Angela Rayner and US ambassador Peter Mandelson (Picture: Getty)

In the exchange, which was reported by ITV News, Ovenden wote to the colleague, who has not been named via Labour’s internal messaging system.

He said: ‘I have got something that will make you lol from last night. We were playing shag marry kill at PT. Honestly, I nearly wet myself from laughing.

After colleague responded encouragingly asking for more details, Ovenden said the ‘highlight’ was one person playing the game asking another ‘who would use the strap on out of her and Diane Abbott’.

He later said that the group ‘spent a lot of time discussing [REDACTED] going down on Diane, according to ITV’s transcript of the conversation, adding that ‘it was outrageous’.

Labour’s code of conduct says party members must not use ‘sexualised language or imagery’ on social media.

Ms Abbott is currently sitting as an independent MP after being suspended from Labour for standing by comments she made arguing that racism suffered by Jewish, Irish and Traveller people is not the same as that suffered by black people.

Downing Street said Mr Ovenden’s comments ‘have no place in our politics’ (Picture: Shutterstock)

Mr Ovenden was one of a team of core aides who steered the ‘Starmer project’ aimed at making Labour electable after Jeremy Corbyn, of whom Ms Abbott was a staunch ally.

It’s understood he was planning to leave his job soon and brought forward his resignation after being questioned about the comments by ITV News.

He told the broadcaster he did so ‘to avoid distracting from the vital work this government is doing to positively change people’s lives’.

He added: ‘While it is chilling that a private conversation from nearly a decade ago can do this sort of damage, I am also truly, deeply sorry for it and the hurt it will cause.’

A spokesperson for Downing Street added: ‘As the first black woman to be elected to Parliament, Diane Abbott is a trailblazer who has faced horrendous abuse throughout her political career. These kinds of comments have no place in our politics.’

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