Mohamed Ali, the whistleblower who sparked rare street protests in Egypt two months ago with his revelations about corruption in his country, has launched a plan to coordinate a new opposition movement dedicated to saving the Egyptian economy and democracy.

Ali announced in London on Wednesday that he was acting to bring together liberals, the Muslim Brotherhood and the April 6 movement in a move that he hopes will end with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi forced to stand down.

Ali became a near-accidental leader of the Egyptian opposition when on 2 September he launched a series of Facebook video tirades revealing the scale of personal corruption inside Egypt based on his personal knowledge as a businessman working for many years on Egyptian military construction projects.

His inside knowledge and ability to speak in a way that appealed to ordinary Egyptians led to street protests across Egypt, but the protest movement died down following widespread arrests and state repression.

Ali admits he is not a political sophisticate, but told the Guardian he had been spending the last two months trying to reunite a disparate Egyptian opposition behind a common programme to save the country’s economy and institutions.

“Sixty per cent of Egyptians are poor or will be poor within two years,” he said. “There is no health education, as Emmanuel Macron was told by Sisi, and there are no jobs. There are 60,000 political prisoners in jails.”

He also warned Europe to take closer interest in Egypt since there was a risk that Sisi’s rule could lead to mass migration to Europe.

“The crisis of the Ethiopian dam is becoming ever more serious and there is no agreement between Ethiopia and Egypt,” he said. “If there is no water it could lead to 100 million Egyptians coming to Europe, especially if this dam is finished without a negotiation. Illegal immigration will be a threat to Europe.

“My plan is in the next month to start a political initiative in London to try to reunite the political opposition inside and outside the country. I am in contact with all political waves, the Muslim Brotherhood, liberals and the April 6 movement. I will launch a reform plan with some experts from politics, the health sector, finance, education and media. I will call all experts in Egypt to join this campaign.”

Ali described his plan as “a comprehensive roadmap for reform to rescue Egypt”.

He said he was in touch with political dissidents who had come to the conclusion that Sisi did not plan to stand aside until 2030. He stressed that he saw his role as a co-ordinator rather than a leader of a new political movement.

His press conference organised by Egypt Watch represented his first public appearance since he left Egypt last year and went into self-imposed exile in Barcelona. He said he believed he would be safe from danger in London. He said he may try to put his alternative plan for the country to a referendum, something that would be very difficult to organise given the level of state control there.

He said he was also going to highlight the cases of female political prisoners in Egypt, including Aisha al-Shater, the daughter of Muslim Brotherhood leader, Khairat el-Shater.

Ali gave the names of a list of technical experts with whom he has been consulting, but said it was premature to reveal the names of the politicians with whom he is discussing his plans.

The Egyptian opposition for a variety of historical and ideological reasons has been divided, but some of its leaders believe Ali may have the credibility with ordinary Egyptians to galvanise the latent opposition shown in the wake of his videos.