Zaghari-Ratcliffe family see 'fresh start' with Hunt as foreign secretary

The husband of a mother jailed in Iran says newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is bringing a "fresh start" to the campaign to free her.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian charity worker, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2016 for spying - allegations she denies.

Richard Ratcliffe and two family members met Mr Hunt on Thursday.

He has said he was disappointed by the failure of Mr Hunt's predecessor, Boris Johnson, to secure his wife's release.

• Jailed British-Iranian faces new charge

• What is the Zaghari-Ratcliffe case about?

Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 39, from Hampstead, north-west London, was detained at Tehran airport while travelling back to the UK with her daughter after a visiting her parents.

Speaking after the meeting at the Foreign Office in London, Mr Ratcliffe said Mr Hunt promised to make the case a "top priority".

While serving as foreign secretary, Mr Johnson faced criticism after telling a parliamentary committee that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been in Iran to train journalists, contradicting the claim that she was on holiday when she was arrested. He later apologised and acknowledged this was not the case.

Mr Hunt tweeted a photograph of his meeting with the Ratcliffe family, and pledged to do "everything we can"

Although Mr Johnson continued to face pressure on the issue, Mr Ratcliffe wrote in the Guardian - following Mr Johnson's resignation last month - that the politician's concern had been genuine and he had subsequently promised to leave no stone unturned in helping them secure Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe's release.

Mr Ratcliffe said this vow to the family had been "the rock on which we built our hope" and that they were concerned about what a new foreign secretary would mean.

But after meeting Mr Hunt, he said: "We all came away more positive than when we went in. She's still in prison and we will see how things go.

"The former foreign secretary was sincere in wanting Nazanin home. There was baggage in the way it all happened and a fresh start allows for some of that baggage to be laid to rest."

Mr Ratcliffe was joined by his mother, Barbara Ratcliffe, and uncle, Geoffrey Dive, who is one of Mr Hunt's constituents and has previously discussed the case with him on four occasions.

Mrs Ratcliffe said Mr Hunt sounded "genuinely concerned", adding: "The meeting gave me hope."

Mr Dive said: "He continued to show the same concern for Nazanin's safety. I hope as foreign secretary he can find a way to resolve the issues which are still preventing her release."

In a tweet, Mr Hunt said: "It's a shocking and desperate situation and they are showing extraordinary strength and resilience, as is Nazanin. We will do everything we can to bring her home."