‘Serious questions to answer’: PM condemned for celebrating arrival of activist who once urged killing of Zionists Responding to communal anger over the reaction to Alaa Abd el-Fattah, an FCDO spokesperson said: 'It's been a long-standing priority under successive governments to work for his release, and to see him reunited with his family in the UK.'

(Jewish News) Senior government ministers including the prime minister have provoked fury by welcoming the arrival to the UK of an activist who had previously called for “all Zionists” to be killed.

Dual British-Egyptian national Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a democracy activist in Egypt, had been sentenced to five years in prison for spreading false news. He received a presidential pardon earlier this autumn and was allowed to travel to the UK following lobbying by ministers, who expressed their delight he had been reunited with his family yesterday.

While both the home and justice secretaries enthusiastically welcomed his arrival, Sir Keir Starmer took to Twitter to write: “I’m delighted that Alaa Abd El-Fattah is back in the UK and has been reunited with his loved ones, who must be feeling profound relief.”

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