Sir Keir Starmer has admitted his regret over saying he was “delighted” that the Egyptian activists Alaa Abd El Fattah was “reunited with loved ones” on Boxing Day.
El Fattah sparked anger across the UK as it emerged he has previously tweeted for Zionists to be murdered, white people to be killed and that women should be raped, despite this the red carpet treatment by Downing Street.
The Shadow Home Secretary has expressed his anger over the “scumbag” activist El-Fattah being allowed to come to the UK given his views on Jews and terrorism.
Starmer said, “Alaa’s case has been a top priority for my Government since we came to office.”
The Prime Minister has now expressed regret over writing on social media that was “delighted” he has been released and is now in the UK.
Of course, I regret that,” Starmer told the BBC.
“Your point that somebody in Government should have known is one I’ve made to the appropriate team because I do think I should have been made aware and I wasn’t aware.
“That is a failure in the system and that’s why we’re coming out with a review.”
It emerged that El Fattah has previously written on social media that he “seriously hates white people,” and called for the killing of Zionists and said that British people are “dogs and monkeys” calling on people to burn down Downing Street.
In a statement released last week, Fattah said, “I am shaken that, just as I am being reunited with my family for the first time in 12 years, several historic tweets of mine have been republished and used to question and attack my integrity and values.”
A Downing Street spokesperson said, “We welcome the return of a British citizen unfairly detained abroad.
“However, we have condemned the nature of these historic tweets and find them abhorrent.”
Speaking to GB News the Shadow Home Secretary said, “Well, quite frankly, he shouldn’t have been here in the first place.
“I don’t know the circumstances surrounding him getting citizenship on December 20, 2021. I don’t know whether that crossed ministers’ desks or not.
“But as far as I’m concerned and I’m now the shadow Home Secretary if I were Home Secretary, I would be walking round the corner into the Home Office right now, stripping him of his British citizenship and deporting him.
“That’s exactly what I’d be doing if I were Home Secretary. He’s a scumbag.”
The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said, “It should go without saying that anyone who possesses racist and anti-British views such as those of Mr El-Fattah should not be allowed into the UK.
Reform’s head of policy, Zia Yusuf, posted on X, “Last year, 107 MPs and Peers wrote to David Lammy (the then-Foreign Secretary) urging him to secure the return of Alaa el-Fattah… a man who had publicly espoused his hatred of British people, white people and Jews.
“They included: six Tories, five Greens, 35 Labour, 34 Lib Dems… and ZERO Reform of course.
“The Alaa el-Fattah saga sums up the uniparty: prioritising those who hate Britain.
“Voting for the Tories again will only result in more of the same. Britain needs Reform.”
