Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen granted UK visa after travel delay

Finnish Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen was granted a six-month UK entry permit on August 21, but the approval arrived only 45 minutes before she was scheduled to speak at a religious freedom conference in Northern Ireland. Due to the timing, Räsänen delivered her address remotely via video link from Finland rather than attending the event in person.

Räsänen, a former Finnish interior minister, had previously been granted an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in June, which the UK Home Office revoked in July without providing a specific reason. Räsänen suggested the restriction was linked to her ongoing legal challenges in Finland, where she was convicted by the Supreme Court in March for expressing traditional Christian views on marriage and sexuality in a 2004 pamphlet. She is currently appealing that conviction to the European Court of Human Rights.

Following a public appeal to UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, authorities granted her leave to enter the country through February 2027. While the delay prevented her in-person participation at the Bangor Worldwide event, Räsänen expressed gratitude for the eventual approval, noting that she is now free to travel to the UK for future engagements regarding freedom of speech and religion.