'Foreign Secretary must use holidays to reset and bring Jagtar Singh Johal home', says family
Gurpreet Singh Johal said Yvette Cooper has not got back to him following their last meeting and urged her to use the Christmas holidays to “reconsider” his plea.
The Foreign Secretary must “reset” over the holidays and “do everything to bring home” a Scots man who has been detained in India for eight years in 2026, his brother has said.
Dumbarton man Jagtar Singh Johal was arrested in November 2017 weeks after his wedding. He has been accused of terror offences and remains in custody despite not being convicted.
His brother, Labour councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal, said in December that his meeting with Yvette Cooper was “one of the most disappointing yet”.
He said she has not got back to him following the meeting and urged her to use the Christmas holidays to “reconsider” his plea.
Labour MP for West Dunbartonshire Douglas McAllister said he was “becoming increasingly frustrated” by the “lack of success” in securing Jagtar’s release.
Gurpreet Singh Johal told The Scotsman: “2025 in March started off as a good year when Jagtar was acquitted of all charges in the case that he was abducted in.
“We hoped that would assist the Government to bring Jagtar back home.
“Towards the end of the year, it has been disappointing that the Government has failed to take the opportunities that they have had.
“They’ve had two opportunities - with the acquittal and thereafter the trade deal.
“To top it off, the meeting with the Foreign Secretary was the worst meeting I’ve had. It wasn’t what I was expecting from this Government.
“I think that 2025 started off well, it progressed well, but towards the end it stepped down.
“So the hope for the family is that the festive period allows the Foreign Secretary and the Government to reconsider all the comments that were made by myself, Douglas [McAllister] and Reprieve in the meeting to allow them to bring a new strategy to try and bring Jagtar home.
“So there’s a hope for 2026 that the Government will reset and do everything they can to bring Jagtar back home.”
When asked what the next steps were and if there was to be a future meeting with the Foreign Secretary, Gurpreet said: “I’m still waiting for the Foreign Secretary to come back to us following the meeting. She still hasn’t come back to us.
“This is another disappointment. It was three weeks ago that we met.
“So we’re waiting for that and then we’ll take further steps as to whether a further meeting is required.”
When asked if he thought he would have heard from Ms Cooper by now, Gurpreet said: “Yeah, we expected to. I’ve been chasing her and she’s still not got back to us.
“I definitely expected her to get back to us a long time ago.
“I do, on this, give her the benefit of the doubt, there is a lot going on.
“But it doesn’t excuse... she was quite adamant about the steps she was going to take, but she hasn’t come back to me and it shouldn’t have taken that long.
“So that is disappointing in terms of the current Foreign Secretary not giving giving British nationals the dues that they should be getting.”
He added: “My message would be: She spends the Christmas period with her family. My brother is separated from his family for the eighth year.
“And she does have the power to do more to bring Jagtar back home. She’s got that gift that she could provide, and it’s within her control.”
Mr McAllister said: “I am becoming increasingly frustrated in relation to our lack of success in securing my constituent’s immediate release.
“I feel two windows of opportunity were missed in 2025, to push the Indian authorities to release my constituent.
“The first being the acquittal in March 2025, and thereafter the extensive UK and Indian Government discussions over the concluding of a UK-India trade deal.
“Over the last eight years of my constituent’s arbitrary detention in India, the UK has had eight different Foreign Secretary’s in office.
“I have now met two, my constituent’s brother has met all. I wish to emphasise to our new Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, that I hope she is the last Foreign Secretary that I ask to meet on behalf of my constituent.
“She has the opportunity to make a difference, to be that Foreign Secretary that secures my constituent’s release and return home to his family in Dumbarton.
“We are placing our faith and trust in her that she will prioritise my constituent’s case and do more than just insist that the Indian authorities speed up the judicial process.
“All previous Foreign Secretaries have made this request, which have always been ignored.
“Given the fact that Jagtar has spent eight years now in arbitrary detention, it is unconscionable that we should consider as a nation that it remains acceptable that my constituent could face decades in arbitrary detention, awaiting the never-ending conclusion of outstanding cases against him.
“As a Government, we seem to be celebrating an extraordinary year of UK-India relations, which included two Prime Ministerial visits and the signing of the landmark UK-India Trade Agreement.
“Resolving the issue of my constituent’s eight-year arbitrary detention, (a position we recognised in opposition), should be an integral part of that success story and not an inconvenient afterthought.
“So, my hope for 2026 is that it will be the year that we finally see a Foreign Secretary and a UK Government succeed in our quest to secure the long-awaited release of Jagtar Singh Johal, and his safe return home to West Dunbartonshire.
“Now, wouldn’t that be a genuine cause for celebration.”
An FCDO Spokesperson said: “We continue to raise concerns about Mr Johal’s prolonged detention at every appropriate opportunity with the Government of India, and we have made clear that faster progress is needed to reach a resolution, including a full investigation into Mr Johal’s allegations of torture.”
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