Boris Johnson must ‘stand up to Iran after dismal failures’ in getting Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe home, Labour MP urges

Tulip Siddiq says Zaghari-Ratcliffe a ‘victim of torture’ being held hostage by regime

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe (R) posing for a photograph with her husband Richard and daughter Gabriella (Free Nazanin campaign/AFP via Ge)

Boris Johnson has been accused of “dismal failure” in standing up to Iran and securing the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, including a “devastating blunder” he made in the case while foreign secretary.

It follows the decision of the regime’s hardline revolutionary court to sentence the British-Iranian national, who was first detained in 2016, for an additional year in prison, alongside a year-long travel ban.

Raising the issue during an urgent question in the Commons, the Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, who is the constituency MP for the family, said Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was a “victim of torture” and was being held hostage by Iranian authorities.

In scathing comments aimed at Mr Johnson, Ms Siddiq said she had seen “no evidence” on the part of the prime minister in securing her release from detention and raised the issue of historic debt owed to Iran.

“At the heart of this case is the prime minister’s dismal failure to release my constituent and stand up for her and his devastating blunder in 2017, when he was foreign secretary he exposed his complete ignorance of this tragic case and put more harm in Nazanin’s way,” she said.

At the time, Mr Johnson was foreign secretary during Theresa May’s administration and apologised in the Commons to the family after his erroneous comments to a select committee were severely criticised for hampering her case.

Ms Siddiq added: "The prime minister did not even arrange for UK officials to attend Nazanin's recent court hearing, which might have ensured she got a free and fair trial. He still hasn't got his government to pay the £400m debt that we as a country owe Iran.

“We MPs might be many things but we're not naive. We cannot deny the fact that Nazanin was handed a fresh new sentence a week after the IMF's debt court hearing was delayed.”

Addressing her comments, Foreign Office minister James Cleverly said her anger and frustration was “misdirected” as dual nationals held in detention were being held by Iranian authorities. “It is on them,” he stressed.

“Our priority has always been her full release and for her to return to the UK. The UK does not and will never accept our dual nationals being used as diplomatic leverage and we recognise her treatment has been completely unacceptable.

“It is totally inhumane and unjustified and we call upon Iran to allow Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe to return home to the UK and release from detention all British dual nationals that are being held.”

He added: “This government remains committed to doing all that we can to secure Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s return home to the UK so that she can be reunited with her daughter Gabriella and her husband Richard.

“It is indefensible and it is unacceptable that Iran has chosen to continue this wholly arbitrary court case against Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

“The Iranian government has deliberately put her through a cruel and inhumane ordeal. We continue to call on Iran in the strongest possible terms to end her suffering and allow her to return home.”

Tom Tugendhat, the Tory chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, also added it was “absolutely essential” focus was on the “cruel and inhumane treatment of a mother held captive as a hostage, a pawn in order to ransom money out of others and to extract diplomatic leverage”.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was first detained in 2016 and sentenced to five years in prison and completed the latter part of her sentence under house arrest, but was brought before court again in March where she was tried on new charges of “spreading propaganda” against the Iranian regime.

During a briefing on Tuesday, No 10 said the UK was “extremely concerned” about Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s treatment in Iran, adding: “We have raised it at the highest levels, including with the prime minister speaking on a number of occasions to present Rouhani.”