David Lammy to appoint envoy to support Britons detained abroad

David Lammy appearing before the foreign affairs select committee on Wednesday. Sebastien Lai, son of detained media executive Jimmy Lai, was in the room. Photograph: House of Commons/PA

David Lammy has said he plans to appoint an envoy to deal with “complex detention cases” involving Britons abroad and give them a legal right to consular access.

After the Guardian’s reporting on detained Britons, the foreign secretary said he had been “looking hard” at the thousands of cases a year involving people who require consular assistance.