The Conservative Party's judgement on citizenship has been declared untrustworthy by rival party Reform UK, amid an escalating political row over the case of activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah.
The Citizenship Grant and Subsequent Controversy
Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a dual-national recently released from detention in Egypt, was granted British citizenship in December 2021 under the former Conservative Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. The grant was reportedly made possible through his UK-born mother. Following his pardon by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el Sisi in September and his arrival in the UK on Boxing Day, historic social media posts attributed to him have surfaced.
These posts, dating from 2010, appeared to show the activist calling for violence against Zionists and the police. In response, Mr Abd El-Fattah has issued a public apology, stating he understood "how shocking and hurtful" his previous comments were and that they represented the anger of a young man during regional crises.
Political Reactions and Accusations
A spokesman for Reform UK launched a fierce attack on the Conservatives' handling of the case. The spokesman highlighted that former Prime Minister Liz Truss and former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had both personally intervened in the case, while Kemi Badenoch was a serving minister at the time of the citizenship grant.
"The Tories would let in countless more like him given the chance. The Conservatives cannot be trusted," the Reform UK spokesman stated, also criticising the current Tory shadow national security minister for expressing relief at the pardon.
Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp dismissed the activist's statement as an "insincere apology" and called for Labour's Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to strip Mr Abd El-Fattah of his citizenship. When pressed on Monday to explain the previous Conservative government's decision, Mr Philp told Times Radio he did not know if ministers at the time were fully aware of the case details, but asserted: "if I were home secretary today, I'd be revoking his citizenship and deporting him."
Background and International Context
Mr Abd El-Fattah's imprisonment in Egypt was on charges of spreading false news, a process which United Nations investigators branded a breach of international law. His release followed years of lobbying by both Conservative and Labour UK governments.
The case now places the UK government's citizenship decisions under intense scrutiny, creating a clear dividing line between the political parties on immigration and security policy ahead of the next general election.
