Sir Keir Starmer has admitted he regrets saying he was “delighted” Egyptian activist Abd El Fattah had settled in the UK after spending years in prison.
El Fattah, 44, sparked political fury after it emerged he had expressed antisemitic and anti-British views on social media.
The Prime Minister, who challenged Rishi Sunak to provide an update on his potential prison release in 2022, revealed he was “delighted” Mr El Fattah had been “reunited with loved ones” on Boxing Day.
He added: “Alaa’s case has been a top priority for my Government since we came to office.”
The Prime Minister, who challenged Rishi Sunak to provide an update on his potential prison release in 2022, revealed he was “delighted” Mr El Fattah had been ‘reunited with loved ones’ on Boxing Day
|
POOL
However, Sir Keir has since expressed his regret over the social media post welcoming Mr El Fattah.
“Of course, I regret that,” the Prime Minister told the BBC.
“Your point that somebody in Government should have known is one I’ve made to the appropriate team because I do think I should have been made aware and I wasn’t aware.
“That is a failure in the system and that’s why we’re coming out with a review.”
Mr El Fattah, who acquired British citizenship under the last Conservative Government, spent more than a decade in an Egyptian prison.
The 44-year-old was convicted of “spreading fake news” in 2021 after sharing a Facebook post about torture.
However, human rights groups condemned the trial as unfair.
Following his arrival in Britain on Boxing Day, social media posts resurfaced showing Mr El Fattah call for the killing of Zionists and admitted he “seriously hate[s] white people”.
PICTURED: Protesters including Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s mother Laila Soueif (centre) demand his return to the UK in 2023 | GETTY
He also once described British people as “dogs and monkeys” and called for Londoners to burn Downing Street.
Sir Keir labelled Mr El Fattah’s comments as “abhorrent”, adding: “As I’ve made clear, I didn’t know about those comments at the time of welcoming El Fattah to this country.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch have put pressure on the Prime Minister to strip Mr El Fattah of his British citizenship and deport him from the UK.
GB News understands the Home Office does not comment on individual cases.
Alaa Abdel Fattah returned to the UK on Boxing Day
|
GETTYHowever, stripping someone of their British citizenship can only be used against terrorists, extremists or someone who has gained citizenship by fraud.
Shamima Begum, now 24, had her citizenship removed in 2019 after she left her home in Bethnal Green to join Islamic State.
Fury around Mr El Fattah’s social media posts also forced the 44-year-old to issue a grovelling apology.
He said: “I am shaken that, just as I am being reunited with my family for the first time in 12 years, several historic tweets of mine have been republished and used to question and attack my integrity and values, escalating to calls for the revocation of my citizenship.
‘Looking at the tweets now – the ones that were not completely twisted out of their meaning – I do understand how shocking and hurtful they are, and for that I unequivocally apologise.”
Mr El Fattah has since been reported to counter-terror police.
Despite Sir Keir claiming he was unaware of Mr El Fattah’s views, ex-No10 insider Paul Ovenden claimed the case of the political prisoner became a “running joke” in Whitehall.
He said: “It actually became a bit of a kind of a running joke within Government that people would always find a way to bring it back to this conversation.”