Consular assistance is a vital tool that enables the UK Government to offer protection to its nationals detained overseas. However, the discretionary nature of consular assistance stands at odds with the UK’s international obligations and falls short of the protection its nationals deserve. Establishing a legal right to consular assistance for those suffering (or at risk of) human rights violations would provide benefits not only to British nationals facing dire circumstances abroad, but also to the British State, showing that British values do not stop at our borders. Transforming consular assistance from a mere discretion into a legal obligation would ensure more robust safeguards for British nationals at risk of human rights abuses abroad and solidify the State’s responsibility to secure the rights and wellbeing of its most vulnerable citizens.
