Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated he regrets saying he was "delighted" at the return of British-Egyptian democracy activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah to the UK, following the resurfacing of what he called "abhorrent" historic social media posts.
PM's Frustration Over Information Failure
During an interview on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Starmer expressed clear frustration that he and other senior figures had not been made aware of the controversial posts before he publicly welcomed the activist's arrival. The posts, dating back as far as 2010, appeared to call for violence against Zionists and the police.
Starmer declined to issue a direct apology but stated, "Of course I regret that... I do think I should have been made aware, and I wasn't made aware." He confirmed the situation represented a "failing within the system" and that a government review into the serious information breakdown had been ordered by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
Activist's Apology and Political Backlash
Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a key voice during the Arab Spring protests, was granted UK citizenship in December 2021. He was imprisoned in Egypt on charges of spreading false news—a case UN investigators deemed a breach of international law—before being pardoned by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi in September 2024.
He arrived in Britain on 26 December 2024 and was reunited with his son in Brighton. Following the outcry over his old posts, Abd el-Fattah issued an unequivocal apology, describing them as "expressions of a young man's anger and frustrations" during regional crises and a rise in police brutality in Egypt.
He added, "I should have known better." Downing Street described his apology as "fairly fulsome" but maintained the posts themselves were abhorrent. The episode has prompted calls from some Conservative and Reform Party politicians for his citizenship to be revoked, though government sources indicate there are no plans to do so.
Government Stance and Ongoing Fallout
A spokesman for the Prime Minister reiterated the UK's longstanding policy, stating, "We welcome the return of a British citizen unfairly detained abroad, as we would in all cases... That is central to Britain's commitment to religious and political freedom."
However, they stressed this principle was separate from the government's condemnation of the activist's historic tweets. The focus now shifts to the internal review ordered by the Foreign Office, which aims to uncover how such significant information failed to reach ministers and senior officials before public statements were made.
