Ministers to be probed on response to freeing Sussex couple jailed in Iran
It's been over 500 days since Lindsay and Craig Foreman were detained on spying charges
Ministers will today be asked why they're not doing more to bring an East Sussex couple jailed in Iran home.
Lindsay and Craig Foreman are serving a 10 year sentence over spying charges, which they deny.
Yesterday, a motorbike procession circled Parliament Square, as family handed in a petition demanding more is done to release them to mark the 500th day of their incarceration.
The pair had been on an around-the-world motorbike trip when they were arrested last January, with the intention of stopping in Iran on their way to Australia.
The debate was put forward by Folkestone and Hythe MP Tony Vaughan, whose been supporting the couple's family in their campaign.
He says he intends to ask why more "muscular" measures aren't being used to bring Lindsay and Craig home:
"I worry sometimes that worrying about what the next person may say is holding back a humanitarian response to keep our citizens safe.
"France has got its citizens out of Iran. It's not as if it's a one-way street.
"But unfortunately, the family don't feel that enough is being done on that front."
An Foreign Office spokesperson said:
“Since Lindsay and Craig’s arrest last year, Britain’s Ambassador to Tehran, diplomats and officials in London have been working to provide consular assistance.
"This includes the ambassador visiting them in prison and facilitating calls with their family back in the UK.
“Minister Falconer last met the family on 19 May and the Foreign Secretary on 17 March.
"Both set out to them personally how unjustified and appalling we consider Lindsay and Craig’s incarceration to be, and the action that the UK Government is taking to try and secure their release.
“We will continue working to ensure that Craig and Lindsay are returned safely to the UK.”