Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress she has made to introduce a Special Envoy for Complex and Arbitrary Detentions.

I know that the Hon Member has taken a long and passionate interest in this issue, both during and following the six years that she spent working for the release of her constituent, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, from detention in Iran.

I am very pleased to tell her and other Parliamentary colleagues that the Foreign Secretary has today (14 July) appointed the Rt Hon Alistair Burt, former Minister of State for the Middle East, to serve as the UK's special envoy for complex consular cases.

The new role has been created to provide additional support in particularly complex cases, including those involving concerns about the welfare of UK detainees, their entitlement to due process and the protection of their human rights. Mr Burt will help ensure that the most complex detention cases continue to receive focused senior attention, supporting the UK's efforts to secure progress and resolution.

Mr Burt will advocate on behalf of detainees and will work closely with families to ensure that their views are heard and reflected in the UK's approach. He will also support coordination across Government and advocate for resolutions in the most challenging cases, ensuring that every possible avenue is being pursued.

He brings extensive experience to this position from his previous ministerial role at the Foreign, Development & Commonwealth Office, where he established a strong track record in handling complex consular cases, including engagement with detainees' families and senior international counterparts, and navigation of sensitive issues in high-pressure environments