The UK Foreign Secretary has ordered an urgent review after “serious information failures” led to a British-Egyptian activist being allowed into the country despite posting anti-Semitic and anti-British tweets.
Yvette Cooper announced the investigation after the British government was left embarrassed when it welcomed the arrival of Alaa Abd El Fattah, who had been jailed for years in Egypt.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer had tweeted his “delight” after the activist arrived in Britain last week, only for his official spokesman days later to express regret at Mr Abd El Fattah’s “abhorrent” social media posts.
Mr Abd El Fattah's tweets called for Zionists, police and white people to be killed, described British people as “dogs and monkeys” and urged Londoners to burn down Downing Street.
The government claims that successive prime ministers were not briefed on the historic tweets, which date back as far as 2010, and civil servants in charge of the case were also unaware of them.
The Egyptian-born activist on Monday issued an “unequivocal” apology for the “shocking and hurtful” posts he made a decade ago, but also argued that some had been “completely twisted”.
Announcing the investigation, Ms Cooper said current Labour and former Conservative ministers “were never briefed on these tweets” and civil servants in charge of the case “were also unaware”.
“I take this extremely seriously, both to ensure we have accurate information and because of the deep distress this has understandably caused,” she said in a letter to the Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday night.
“It is clear that this has been an unacceptable failure and that long-standing procedures and due diligence arrangements have been completely inadequate for this situation.”
Ms Cooper also wanted the inquiry, which is likely to report next month, to ensure that Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office systems are functioning properly and “that all necessary lessons are learned”.
Right-wing politicians have called for Mr Abd El Fattah to be stripped of his British citizenship – given in 2021 while he was in an Egyptian jail over spreading false news. But it is understood there are no plans for this step and there appear to be no legal grounds to deport him.
The activist’s sister Mona Seif defended him in a tweet stating that he “spoke consistently out loud against violence committed by all entities and groups – friends and foe” and condemned the “vile campaign” being mounted against him.
However, the Conservatives mounted a fresh attack claiming that a Facebook account linked to Mr Abd El Fattah had “liked” a post claiming he was victim of campaign by Zionists.
After pressure from successive British governments, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi had pardoned Mr Abd El Fattah earlier this year.
He flew to Britain last Friday to be reunited with his teenage son who lives in Brighton, on England's south coast.
