Hopes of a family reunion in Brighton for a son with his jailed father – a political prisoner in Egypt – have been dashed.
But a 10 Downing Street official said that Foreign Secretary David Lammy raised the case of the jailed British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah with officials in Cairo this week.
Downing Street faced further criticism from Mr Abd El-Fattah’s mother, Laila Soueif, over his continuing imprisonment.
She has been on hunger strike for 117 days in protest over her son’s treatment in Egypt and has urged Sir Keir Starmer to intervene because “time is running out”.
Today (Friday 24 January), she accused the Prime Minister of not having “deigned to reply” to a letter that she sent him last week about her son’s plight.
Mr Abd El-Fattah, 43, has been detained in Egypt since Sunday 29 September 2019 and in December 2021 he was jailed for five years after being accused of spreading false news.
Asked about the case today, No 10 said that his imprisonment had been a “focus” of Mr Lammy’s meetings with the Egyptian government as he visited the country yesterday.
The official added that the Prime Minister had also raised the case with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Asked whether the Prime Minister would meet Ms Souief, the official said: “Obviously, we will set out prime ministerial meetings in the usual way.”
On whether he planned to respond to her letter, the official said: “I don’t have an update on that specific point.
“In terms of timelines, the Foreign Secretary raised this case a number of times with his counterpart, most recently in Saudi Arabia when he met the foreign minister of Egypt there.”
Asked if Sir Keir had a message for Ms Soueif on the 117th day of her hunger strike, the official promised an “update in due course” after she wrote to the Prime Minister.
The official said: “In terms of the Foreign Office, our officials remain in regular contact with her and her family to check on her welfare.”
Mr Abd El-Fattah has spent most of the past decade in prison because of his criticism of Egypt’s rulers and is unable to see his young son who lives in Brighton.
His mother has spent 117 days on hunger strike and vows not to eat until he is freed.
Ms Soueif, 68, warned today that her “blood sugar levels are dropping” as low as 2.8mmol/L and “I feel more tired every day”.
She said: “I have always said that ultimately it is the Prime Minister who must talk directly to President Sisi to secure Alaa’s freedom.
“There were hopes that Mr Lammy would bring Alaa back with him and reunite him with his son in Brighton but it is clear this is not happening. I am devastated for my son and my grandson. They deserve to be together.
“But I have always said that ultimately it is the Prime Minister who must talk directly to President Sisi to secure Alaa’s freedom. Mr Starmer has not even deigned to reply to the letter I sent him over a week ago requesting a meeting.
“The Prime Minister must know that time is running out. My blood sugar levels are dropping and I feel more tired every day. He needs to intervene to bring Alaa to his family in the UK before it is too late.”
Sanaa Seif, Mr Abd El-Fattah’s sister, welcomed the Foreign Secretary raising her brother’s case but insisted it required intervention from the Prime Minister.
She said: “My family needs Keir Starmer to intervene and talk directly to President Sisi to free Alaa.
“Why is the Prime Minister ignoring our meeting request? Is the Prime Minister waiting until my mum is in hospital to pay attention to us?
“I’m told Alaa is a priority for the British government and I want to believe that but we need Keir Starmer to act now before it’s too late.”
