Writing for The Telegraph, British Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander said, “A future Labour Government would appoint a Global Envoy for Religious Freedom.”

He said there is no time to waste and that the UK has fallen behind others, such as the US and Canada, that are showing stronger leadership; they have appointed international ambassadors for tackling religious persecution.

The US announced its appointment of Rabbi David Saperstein on 13 Dec, after a long delay, and also a fight to keep the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in operation. Canada’s Ambassador Dr Andrew Bennett was appointed in February 2013.

Alexander also said that the Labour Party would support the current UK Government if they implemented this action sooner as ‘this is an issue beyond party politics.’

The UK general election will be in May 2015.