Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Consular Assistance: Statutory Right

Tuesday 13 May 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • British citizens are arrested abroad each year, with estimates around 5,000.
  • The Government prioritizes the safety and security of British nationals overseas.
  • The Conservative manifesto promised a legal right to consular assistance in cases of human rights violations.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Christine Jardine Lib Dem Edinburgh West
Foreign Affairs
Context

5,000 British citizens are estimated to be arrested abroad annually, often under false pretences. Cases like Alaa Abd el-Fattah in Egypt and Jagtar Singh Johal in India highlight the need for consular assistance.

Question

Every year, an estimated 5,000 British citizens are arrested abroad, many of them under false pretences. Many are used as hostages and denied access to legal representation, and their families are left without information, not knowing what has happened to them. High-profile cases at the moment include those of Alaa Abd el-Fattah in Egypt and Jagtar Singh Johal in India. None of these people has an automatic right to support, as is the case with other countries such as the United States, so can the Minister give us more details about exactly what the consular assistance will be and whether it will be automatic for everyone?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Mr Hamish Falconer)

The safety and security of British nationals overseas is a top priority for the Government. This is a complex area of policy—the hon. Lady has described the wide range of different consular cases that the Foreign Office responds to, from kidnap cases to more routine cases. As I set out to the Foreign Affairs Committee, given the complexity of these issues we will come back to Parliament in due course with options for consultation.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific details about what consular assistance would entail or if it would be automatic.

How: Complex Area Of Policy, Will Come Back To Parliament

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Q2 Iain Duncan Smith Con Chingford and Woodford Green
Foreign Affairs
Context

The Government's manifesto promised a legal right to consular assistance in cases of human rights violations. High-profile cases such as Ryan Cornelius, held illegally for 17 years, highlight the need for this promise.

Question

I remind the Government that their manifesto promised a legal right to consular assistance in cases of human rights violations. The Government have now been in power for close on a year. This is not something that should take a big shove; surely, we should do it straight away. Surely such assistance should be a legal right. People including Ryan Cornelius and Jimmy Lai are still being held. Ryan Cornelius has been held illegally for 17 years, which the UN has criticised as a human rights violation. For ages we did not send anybody to see him; surely now we must act and call out these regimes. The first place to start is by giving those people the absolute right to consular assistance.

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Mr Hamish Falconer)

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question and his commitment to these issues. Were it only so that passing a right in this place would secure the release of the people whose cases have been raised. In every case that has been mentioned by the right hon. Gentleman and by the hon. Member for Edinburgh West (Christine Jardine), the people concerned do receive consular assistance. I have met the families of Ryan Cornelius and Alaa Abd el-Fattah; they both remain very much in our minds. It is important that we get the rights correct. These are complex cases, and we are bound not just by what we decide in Parliament, but by the relevant conventions and diplomatic norms. We will take action to try to preserve the safety of British nationals overseas, but it is right that we take our time to ensure that we get it correct.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to implementing the manifesto promise immediately.

How: Complex Cases, Bound By Diplomatic Norms

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