Key facts
- The UK Foreign Office has appointed a special envoy for British citizens detained overseas.
- Alistair Burt, former Conservative Middle East minister, has taken on the new role.
- The position aims to provide additional support in complex consular cases, including those involving welfare, due process, or human rights concerns.
- The appointment fulfills a pledge made by David Lammy when he was shadow foreign secretary.
- The role is seen as a response to criticism of the Foreign Office's handling of detained Britons and inspired by the success of the US special presidential envoy for hostages.
The UK Foreign Office has established a new role for a special envoy tasked with assisting British citizens detained overseas, particularly in complex consular cases. Alistair Burt, a former Conservative Middle East minister, has been appointed to this position. The creation of the role follows criticism that the Foreign Office has not provided sufficient support or diplomatic leverage to secure the release of Britons held abroad, with the US special presidential envoy for hostages cited as a more successful model.
Burt, known for his extensive contacts in the Middle East, had previously advocated for greater action in cases like that of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, an Iranian-British dual national who spent six years imprisoned in Tehran. The Foreign Office described the new role as focusing on "complex consular cases," emphasizing a cautious approach that avoids publicly labeling detainees as unlawfully held or victims of state hostage-taking. The appointment is intended to strengthen support for British nationals facing challenging circumstances abroad, aligning with a manifesto commitment.
Yvette Cooper, the Foreign Secretary, welcomed Burt's appointment, highlighting his experience and expressing confidence in his ability to drive progress in difficult cases. Dan Dolan, deputy chief executive of the legal charity Reprieve, noted that the envoy's success will hinge on a strong commitment to bringing home arbitrarily detained Britons, such as Jagtar Singh Johal, who has been held in India since 2017 and whose detention has been described as arbitrary by the UN.