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The mother of jailed Egyptian-British dissident Alaa Abdel Fattah was taken to hospital on Monday night as she neared the 150th day of a hunger strike in protest against her son's imprisonment in Egypt.

Laila Soueif, 68, who has lost nearly 30 kg (66 lb) in weight since starting her fast in September, was admitted to St. Thomas' hospital after her blood sugar dipped to worryingly low levels, her daughter said in a post on X.

Fattah, a software developer and blogger who rose to prominence as an activist in the 2011 Arab Spring, was jailed for five years in Egypt over a social media post, a sentence that followed several previous spells in prison, including before and after the uprising.

Soueif, a mathematics professor, has been on hunger strike, consuming only herbal tea, black coffee and rehydration salts, ever since Egyptian authorities failed to free Fattah on a scheduled release date of 29 September.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have repeatedly raised Alaa Abdel Fattah's case with their Egyptian counterparts.

Starmer met Soueif this month, promising to do everything he could to secure Fattah's release.

"We all are hoping for Laila's health," UK junior foreign office minister Hamish Falconer, who met Soueif and Starmer this month, told parliament on Tuesday when asked about the case.

"The prime minister has undertaken to take every effort that he can to try and ensure Alaa's release," he added.

A representative for the Egyptian embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment.

Speaking to the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdel Atty said Egypt was working on implementing its human rights strategy, including activating a national pardons committee, launching a national dialogue, and passing a new criminal law.

Alaa Abdel Fattah's former prison mate, Australian journalist Peter Greste, joined Soueif in the hunger strike for three weeks last month.

Speaking to Reuters outside the hospital, Fattah's sister Sanaa said she was frustrated at the British government but still hopeful Lammy and Starmer could secure his release: "I hope they feel the urgency."

(Reuters)