Labour slammed for ’embarrassing failures’ in Egyptian prisoner fiasco | Politics | News

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has been told that “disgraceful failures” in welcoming to the UK an Egyptian activist accused of supporting the killing of Zionists and police officers could have been avoided if the Foreign Office followed through on a key commitment. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has condemned Alaa Abd El Fattah’s social media comments as “absolutely disgusting”, just days after the previously detained campaigner said he was “delighted” to arrive.

Dame Emily Thornberry, who chairs the foreign affairs select committee, says in a public letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper that if the Government had committed to appointing an envoy for “complex custody cases” more than a year ago then “it is clear to me that such disgraceful failures in due diligence and information sharing would have been avoided”. Dame Emily said it would “absolutely be within the ambassador’s remit to carry out appropriate background and social media checks”. The Conservatives and Reform UK want Mr Abd El Fattah removed from Britain after offensive messages emerged, including a 2012 message in which he said he found it “heroic to kill colonists and especially Zionists”.

The Foreign Secretary said ministers were never informed of the messages and there had been an “unacceptable failure”.

In her letter to Ms Cooper, Dame Emily says: “Your recognition of the distress experienced by Jewish communities, particularly in the context of increasing antisemitism in the UK and internationally, is necessary and welcome.”

Mr Abd El Fattah apologized for his online messages, saying: “I understand how shocking and hurtful they were and I am absolutely sorry for that.”