Detained British Nationals Abroad

Questions whether the support provided by the British Government is consistent across the globe.

Raises concern about Alaa Abd el-Fattah's case, noting that more needs to be done beyond just raising it with Egyptian authorities.

Invites recognition for the families and friends of British-linked hostages held in Gaza—Oded Lifschitz, Eli Sharabi, Avinatan Or and Emily Damari—and their cases.

Suggests having a small dedicated unit within the Foreign Office to handle coordination of systematic responses when someone is arbitrarily detained abroad.

Agrees that whether someone is a dual national or not should be irrelevant; if they are British, they deserve support and protection as such.

Ms. Thornberry thanked the right hon. Member for securing today’s debate and discussed the issue of British nationals being arbitrarily detained abroad, emphasising that families often feel neglected by the Foreign Office despite public sympathy. She proposed setting up a senior position within the Foreign Office to address arbitrary detention cases, similar to the US State Department's approach with their Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA). Ms. Thornberry highlighted the need for clear criteria to determine whether detentions are arbitrary and called on the Government to implement recommendations made by previous committees to improve consular access and support families of detained individuals.

I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green on securing the debate, and on the tremendous amount of work that he has done in this area. I also join her in recognising the amount of work that was done by the previous Committee in the last Parliament under the chairmanship of my hon. Friend. The APPG produced an extremely good report, although I have to say that the Government response was a bit disappointing. Media freedom is also under huge pressure across the globe: far too many journalists have died in pursuit of their profession, or are currently in prison. According to the latest report, 546 journalists and media workers are detained as of today. The UK has rightly championed the cause of media freedom, especially in the Foreign Office. I myself chair the all-party parliamentary group on media freedom. My right hon. Friend has mentioned a few specific cases, and I want to do the same. Both he and I were privileged to attend the Magnitsky awards dinner a couple of weeks ago. At the dinner, it was a privilege to meet Vladimir Kara-Murza. We were seriously worried that Kara-Murza would be next after the death of Alexei Navalny. There was certainly evidence to suggest that he would have died had he remained in prison. I also want to mention the case of Jimmy Lai who is now detained under the draconian national security law that has been introduced in Hong Kong. It is noticeable that just two decades ago, Hong Kong was 18th in the world rankings for press freedom; it is now 135th. My right hon. Friend mentioned several other cases of British nationals who are still in prison, but I will start with Alaa Abd el-Fattah and Clare Rewcastle Brown. The Government, as far as I am aware, have not commented on her case, and she has struggled to obtain support from the Foreign Office. Very understandably, she is extremely reluctant to do so given the amount of personal risk. Let us continue to raise it with the Government of Azerbaijan until Dr Ibadoghlu is released. The final case that I must mention is that of Emily Damari who is a British citizen and has been held for 425 days. Her mother is obviously deeply anxious to know that she is still alive, so the Government must do everything possible to try to obtain her release. It is sad that so many British citizens are detained arbitrarily on trumped-up charges around the world, and that this debate is so vital and necessary.

I congratulate the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green on securing this debate, recognising the unfairness of discussing the worst failings of the Foreign Office while praising its best efforts. The debate is about one of the worst legacies inherited: securing the release of those arbitrarily detained overseas. We must protest vocally and unanimously against such detentions, driving us to question diplomatic failures. I welcome the Government’s commitment but question whether our current approach balances charm and chastisement effectively. For me, this is about setting non-negotiable red lines in diplomacy, ensuring any special envoy has independence from Ministers. There should also be a consistent application of Magnitsky sanctions when individuals are designated as arbitrarily detained, providing an incentive for release and deterrence against future detentions.

Expressed concern about the plight of arbitrarily detained UK nationals and highlighted the work of the all-party parliamentary group on arbitrary detention and hostage affairs. Emphasised the need for a 'whole government' approach to secure the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, urging for stricter consular assistance policies and changes in trade relations with Egypt.

Ms Warinder Juss raises concerns about the detention of Jagtar Singh Johal, a British citizen from Dumbarton in Scotland, who has been held in an Indian jail for seven years. She highlights that emails received by her constituents express concern over human rights breaches regardless of religious affiliation. She mentions that UN working groups have found his detention to be arbitrary and lacking legal basis, calling for his immediate release. Ms Juss also notes the cross-party support from MPs and acknowledges the Prime Minister's efforts in raising Jagtar’s case with Indian officials. However, she stresses the need for further actions by the UK government to secure his release regularly.

Today’s debate was initiated by the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green, who set the scene clearly, clinically and evidentially. I thank him for bringing this matter forward to the Backbench Business Committee. The debate addresses the unjust detention of British citizens abroad, specifically focusing on Jagtar Singh Johal from Dumbarton, detained in India since 2017 under baseless charges, and Jimmy Lai, a Hong Kong-based journalist imprisoned under draconian national security laws imposed by Beijing despite his British citizenship. I call upon the Foreign Secretary to set aside a section within the FCDO specifically for dealing with such cases of British citizens abroad, as this would provide dedicated support and accountability. The UK must use every diplomatic tool available to secure their release and ensure accountability for human rights abuses.

While I did not intend to interrupt, it is important to note that referring to the Minister as 'you' during a debate can be confusing when addressing multiple individuals. The debate focuses on urgent and troubling matters of British citizens detained abroad due to their beliefs or activities, such as Jagtar Singh Johal in India and Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong, highlighting systematic failures in protecting UK nationals overseas.

I congratulate the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green on securing this vital debate, highlighting the unacceptable detention of British nationals abroad and their families' suffering. I support the immediate release of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu in Azerbaijan and Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong, advocating for a dedicated UK envoy to handle arbitrary detention cases similar to the US role of presidential envoy for hostage affairs. The Foreign Office lacks a clear strategy; transparency is needed with data on victims of arbitrary detention. Consular access should be legalised for British citizens abroad as it can be life-saving. Magnitsky sanctions and asset freezes are critical tools against human rights abuses.

I call Douglas McAllister to make the final Back-Bench contribution, ensuring the debate continues with impactful speeches from all sides of the House.

I commend the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green for securing this debate on detained British nationals abroad, particularly highlighting Jagtar Singh Johal's case. Jagtar has been arbitrarily detained in India since November 2017, facing nine cases based on false confessions, and remains unconvicted and in solitary confinement. The House must be concerned about Jagtar’s mental and physical wellbeing under these conditions. Consular access should have a legal framework to provide families with certainty and support for their loved ones abroad. Former Governments’ responses were inadequate, but I am encouraged by the progress made so far by the current Foreign Secretary who has met with Jagtar's brother and provided regular updates. The Indian Government must immediately release Jagtar Singh Johal, and the FCDO should continue to escalate diplomatic representations to ensure his repatriation.

Miller discussed specific cases of arbitrary detention, including Alaa Abd el-Fattah in Egypt, Jimmy Lai in China, Jagtar Singh Johal, Mehran Raoof in Iran, and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. He emphasised the need for immediate release of detained British nationals, consular access, consistent human rights dialogue, naming consequences for ignoring requests, and appointing an envoy or director for arbitrary detention cases.

Supporting British nationals abroad should be a priority for the FCDO. The consular team supported over 21,000 British nationals in the last full year of government. The Foreign Secretary promised an envoy to handle more complex detention cases but this must not be used as an excuse to outsource responsibilities. Morton raised concerns about high-profile detainee cases such as Jagtar Singh Johal, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, Ryan Cornelius and Jimmy Lai, calling for their release and urgent consular access. She also questioned the Government’s approach towards closer relations with Beijing regarding Jimmy Lai's case and called for explicit calls to repeal Hong Kong’s national security legislation. Morton emphasised that autocracies use dual-nationals as pawns and asked if there is a strategy to counter this pattern of cynical exploitation of British nationals.

Asked why the Government is not using Magnitsky sanctions to address hostage-taking and arbitrary detention of British nationals abroad.

Inquired whether criteria for determining if a detained British national has been arbitrarily detained will be published.

He called for a regular report from the Government on those individuals who are arbitrarily detained or unlawfully imprisoned. He emphasised the importance of having a go-to individual within the Government to assist families, ensuring they feel informed about their cases. Duncan Smith also highlighted the need to link this issue with trade and use all available powers against foreign Governments. Additionally, he pointed out that Magnitsky sanctions legislation should be used more frequently by the UK Government.