Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what criteria is applied to a decision on whether a British citizen receives consular assistance or diplomatic protection.

Diplomatic protection is a mechanism under international law according to which a State may seek to secure reparation for injury to one of its nationals, on the basis that the second State has committed an internationally wrongful act against the national. As a consequence, diplomatic protection is rarely used. Any request for diplomatic protection would be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Diplomatic protection is distinct from consular assistance where a State provides help to its nationals who find themselves in trouble in another State. The assistance the Foreign and Commonwealth Office can provide to British nationals abroad is set out in the publication: Support for British nationals abroad: A Guide.