The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has condemned David Cameron’s decision to welcome the Egyptian president to Downing Street and called for the UK to suspend arms exports to the country.

Corbyn said Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s visit to No 10 on Thursday as the guest of Cameron showed “contempt for human and democratic rights”.

Sisi’s visit is expected to be marked by an outbreak of protests against the former army chief who won power after a coup against Egypt’s democratically elected leader that involved a massacre of protesters.

Downing Street has defended the visit, saying Cameron needed to talk to Sisi about security in north Africa and the Middle East, but Corbyn said it “threatens, rather than protects, Britain’s national security”.

“Support for dialogue and negotiated conflict resolution in the Middle East is vital to us all,” he said. “But to welcome and bolster with military support the coup leader who overthrew a democratically elected president in 2013 and has presided over the killing and jailing of many thousands since makes a mockery of government claims to be promoting peace and justice in the region.

“Support for dictatorial regimes in the Middle East has been a key factor fuelling the spread of terrorism. Rather than rolling out the red carpet to President Sisi, the prime minister should suspend arms exports to Egypt until democratic and civil rights are restored.”

Downing Street said the likely areas of discussion between Cameron and Sisi would be “combating terrorism in Egypt and the region, bringing stability to Libya and other areas of mutual interest”. Asked why Cameron was inviting a leader with such a record on human rights, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “The stronger our working relationship, the more able we are to have necessary and frank discussions on areas on which we disagree.”

However, he could not confirm there would be a press conference afterwards, which is usual for a visit by a foreign leader.

Sameh Shafi, coordinator of one of the protest groups, Stop Sisi, said: “We’re going to make life very difficult for him. The worst thing would be for him to walk in scot-free. The aim is to show the opposite of what he’s showing – that he’s a legitimate president, everyone loves him. The aim of the protest is to show that he’s not that person, to show the exact opposite of the message [he wants to convey] and make him famous for his crimes.



“I think the British politicians and everyone here needs to understand that his only selling point – that he’s a military man who brings stability – is the exact opposite of what’s happening [in Egypt].”

Among the other organisations involved in protests are Egypt Solidarity Initiative, Federation of Student Islamic Societies, 6th April Youth Movement, Muslim Association of Britain, Stop the War Coalition and Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT). Representatives from the National Union of Students are also expected to attend.

The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, was one of 55 signatories to a letter last month calling on Cameron to cancel the invitation to Sisi on the grounds that he is a military dictator responsible for a “regime of terror”.



The letter, also signed by Diane Abbott, the shadow development secretary, and Caroline Lucas, the Green party MP, said: “No considerations of commerce or realpolitik can justify such an invitation.”

Human rights lawyers have suggested that during the official visit to London they could seek the arrest of members of Sisi’s regime for crimes against humanity in relation to the massacre of more than 800 protesters outside Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in August 2013.



However, Cameron has adopted an approach of engagement with Sisi, particularly over the threat of Islamic State. In 2014, he also ordered a review of the UK activities of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned by Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The publication of the report by Sir John Jenkins, former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, has not been forthcoming, amid speculation that it is too favourable towards the group to merit a ban.