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London's ambassador to Cairo has forgotten to mention human rights as one of the key issues facing Egypt.

Ambassador John Casson, who is known in Egypt for his strong Twitter , asked his followers on the social media platform to choose one of four issues he said should be at the top of his agenda before a visit by five British MPs to Cairo on Monday.

These were tourism, currency, terrorism and political reform.

Human rights activists immediately criticised Casson for the glaring omission, given Egypt's notorious human rights record under the regime of Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the army general who turned president following a coup against elected leader Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

Under Sisi's tenure, tens of thousands have been killed, tortured or detained, including journalists, activists, women and children.

Wael Iskandar mocked the ambassador, writing: "Why introduce a contentious issue like human rights which may affect UK profits from Egypt?"

The ambassador defended himself, claiming human rights were part of his "political reform" suggestion.

By 6 pm GMT, 39 percent of respondents to the Twitter poll had said political reform should top the agenda of discussions between UK and Egyptian politicians in Cairo.


According to The Guardian, Casson has served as ambassador to Egypt since 2014.

He was David Cameron’s foreign affairs private secretary from 2010 to 2014 and previously served as deputy ambassador to Jordan.