Reform UK has said the Conservatives “cannot be trusted”, after the decision to grant Alaa Abd El-Fattah citizenship.
The activist, who was recently released from years of detention in Egypt, previously wrote tweets which appeared to show him calling for violence against Zionists and the police.
He was granted UK citizenship in December 2021 under former Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson, reportedly through his UK-born mother.
Mr Abd El-Fattah has apologised for the posts, saying he understood “how shocking and hurtful” his previous comments were.
But Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp labelled his statement an “insincere apology”, as he called for Shabana Mahmood to strip Mr Abd El-Fattah of his citizenship.
A Reform UK spokesman said: “Alaa Abd El-Fattah was granted British citizenship in 2021 by Boris Johnson’s government. Liz Truss and James Cleverly both personally intervened on his case.
“Kemi Badenoch was minister of state for local government, faith and communities when Alaa Abd El-Fattah was granted citizenship.
“The current Tory shadow national security minister said she was ‘relieved’ this man was pardoned three months ago, and even now says all he must do is ‘apologise’.
“She is still the Tory shadow national security minister. The Tories would let in countless more like him given the chance. The Conservatives cannot be trusted.”
The Tory Shadow National Security Minister said she was “relieved” this man was pardoned 3 months ago, and even now says all he must do is “apologise”.
— Zia Yusuf (@ZiaYusufUK) December 29, 2025
She is still the Tory Shadow *National Security* Minister.
The Tories would let in countless more like him given the chance. pic.twitter.com/T0Mx50eJZ6
Mr Philp faced calls on Monday to explain why a previous Conservative government had granted Mr Abd El-Fattah citizenship.
“I don’t know whether ministers at the time were sighted on the individual facts of this case,” he told Times Radio.
“All I can do is speak for what I know today, and that is that if I were home secretary today, I’d be revoking his citizenship and deporting him.”
Mr Abd El-Fattah was imprisoned on charges of spreading false news, in a process branded a breach of international law by UN investigators.
He was pardoned by Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el Sisi in September after years of lobbying by Conservative and Labour governments, and arrived in the UK on Boxing Day.
Since then, posts dating from 2010 have surfaced in which the activist appears to call for violence against Zionists and the police.
In his statement, Mr Abd El-Fattah said: “I unequivocally apologise.
“They (the posts) were mostly expressions of a young man’s anger and frustrations in a time of regional crises (the wars on Iraq, on Lebanon and Gaza), and the rise of police brutality against Egyptian youth.
“I particularly regret some that were written as part of online insult battles with the total disregard for how they read to other people. I should have known better.”
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