Foreign secretary orders review of 'serious failures' in case of British-Egyptian activist

Yvette Cooper has ordered an urgent Foreign Office reappraisal of "serious accusation failures" successful the lawsuit of a freed British-Egyptian activist.

"Abhorrent" societal media posts by Alaa Abd El-Fattah emerged aft helium returned to the UK connected Boxing Day pursuing respective years of imprisonment successful Egypt.

Ms Cooper, the overseas secretary, said successive premier ministers were not briefed connected the historical tweets, which day backmost arsenic acold arsenic 2010, and civilian servants successful complaint of the lawsuit were besides "unaware" of them.

The activistic has since apologised "unequivocally" for his "shocking and hurtful" societal media posts, successful which helium appears to telephone for unit against "Zionists" - but said immoderate had been "completely twisted".

Both the Conservatives and Reform UK person suggested helium should person his British citizenship stripped for the posts - though it is understood determination are nary existent plans for this, and the instrumentality does not look to supply grounds to deport him.

In a missive to the seat of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry, Ms Cooper said long-standing procedures and owed diligence arrangements had been "completely inadequate" successful the case.

"In the discourse of rising antisemitism, and caller horrific attacks against Jewish radical successful this state and astir the world, I americium profoundly acrophobic that the unexpected emergence of these humanities tweets - coming alongside the societal media posts that I and different elder politicians sent connected Boxing Day welcoming the decision of this long-running lawsuit and Mr El Fattah's reunion with his household - person added to the distress felt by Jewish communities successful the UK, and I precise overmuch regret that," she wrote.

"I person asked the imperishable nether caput arsenic a substance of urgency to reappraisal the superior accusation failures successful this lawsuit and much broadly the systems that are successful spot wrong the section for conducting owed diligence connected the idiosyncratic high-profile consular and human-rights cases for which the FCDO is responsible, to guarantee that those systems are functioning decently for the future, and that each indispensable lessons are learned."

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Mr Abd El-Fattah was a starring dependable during Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring uprising and went connected hunger strikes successful prison.

He was astir precocious detained successful September 2019 and sentenced to 5 years successful situation successful December 2021 connected charges of spreading mendacious news.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pardoned the activistic earlier this twelvemonth and helium flew to the UK to reunite with his young son, who lives successful Brighton, past week.

He had been granted UK citizenship successful December 2021 nether Boris Johnson, reportedly done his UK-born mother.

No 10 has defended the government's handling of the case, with the premier minister's authoritative spokesperson saying: "We invited the instrumentality of a British national unfairly detained abroad, arsenic we would successful each cases and arsenic we person done successful the past.

"That is cardinal to Britain's committedness to spiritual and governmental freedom. That said, it doesn't alteration the information that we person condemned the quality of these historical tweets and we see them to beryllium abhorrent, and we've been precise wide astir that."

In a statement, Mr Abd El-Fattah said: "I unequivocally apologise.

"(The posts) were mostly expressions of a young man's choler and frustrations successful a clip of determination crises (the wars connected Iraq, connected Lebanon and Gaza), and the emergence of constabulary brutality against Egyptian youth.

"I peculiarly regret immoderate that were written arsenic portion of online insult battles with the full disregard for however they work to different people. I should person known better."