Foreign Office 'ineffective for Britons held abroad' - expert

Families of Britons arrested in controversial circumstances abroad should raise concerns promptly in public because Foreign Office "quiet diplomacy" is not effective, an expert has warned after the arrest of a former British Royal Marine in Dubai.

- Dan Sabbagh

Matthew Hedges, a British academic who was detained and tortured in the United Arab Emirates in 2018, said the case of Matt Croucher, a military veteran held in the country for seven months, also showed how far the "international influence of the UK had disappeared" in the Gulf region.

"We always tell families to go public at the first opportunity," said Hedges, then a Durham University PhD student, who was released from the UAE after his wife, Daniela Tejada, began campaigning in the media, six months into his detention on charges of espionage.

"Foreign Office quiet diplomacy does not work," Hedges said. "The reality is that the British government's behind-the-scenes influence has disappeared. Look at the relationship between the UK and the UAE, the two states are bickering over a multitude of issues. That does not scream respect or warm relations."