Foreign Office appoints first special envoy for Britons detained overseas

Jagtar Singh Johal, a British national who has been detained in India for nine years, is escorted to a court in Punjab in 2017. Photograph: Shammi Mehra/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Jagtar Singh Johal, a British national who has been detained in India for nine years, is escorted to a court in Punjab in 2017. Photograph: Shammi Mehra/AFP/Getty Images Foreign Office appoints first special envoy for Britons detained overseas Alistair Burt will bring diplomatic clout to complex cases involving human rights violations and arbitrary detention The Foreign Office has appointed a special envoy for British citizens detained overseas, a new role to deal with “complex consular cases” such as that of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe , the British-Iranian dual national who was imprisoned in Tehran for six years. Alistair Burt, the former Conservative Middle East minister, has taken on the role, fulfilling a pledge by David Lammy when he was shadow foreign secretary. It was made after criticism of how the Foreign Office handled British citizens detained overseas, including the failure to provide consistent support or diplomatic muscle to secure their release. The proposals were backed by Alicia Kearns, then the chair of the foreign affairs select committee. There was a strong view that the US special presidential envoy for hostages had secured more success and clout inside the diplomatic system, and used more innovative techniques to negotiate the release of Americans. Burt was tipped for the post more than a year ago. The delay in the appointment appears to have been a result of Foreign Office concerns that an envoy advocating in public for the release of detainees might cut across normal bilateral diplomatic priorities. The Foreign Office instinct in such cases is to avoid publicity. View image in fullscreen Alistair Burt, pictured in 2015, is known for his wide network of contacts across the Middle East. Photograph: James Drew Turner/The Guardian Burt’s appointment comes days before Keir Starmer stands down as prime minister and seems to have been part of a desk-clearing exercise that raises questions on why the decisions could not have been taken a year earlier. Burt is known for his wide contacts across the Middle East. He wrote to the foreign affairs select committee that he had repeatedly advocated for more to be done to secure the release of Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was held on espionage charges. The Foreign Office described the role as envoy for “complex consular cases”, a phrase that emphasises the UK’s reluctance to claim British citizens are being held unlawfully or victims of state hostage-taking. The Foreign Office said: “The new role has been created to provide additional support in particularly complex cases, including those involving concerns about welfare, due process or human rights. “The appointment contributes to the manifesto commitment to strengthen support for British nationals abroad and those facing the most challenging circumstanc