Expert Criticizes Foreign Office's Quiet Diplomacy in Overseas Arrests

An expert warns that quiet diplomacy by the Foreign Office is ineffective in overseas arrest cases. Families should promptly go public, as seen in the case of Matt Croucher, a former British Royal Marine detained in the UAE for seven months. The UK’s influence in the Gulf appears to be waning, and immediate public action is advised.

Families of Britons arrested abroad in controversial circumstances should quickly raise public concerns, as the Foreign Office's 'quiet diplomacy' is ineffective, warns Matthew Hedges.

Hedges, a British academic detained and tortured in the UAE in 2018, cites the case of Matt Croucher, a former British Royal Marine held there for seven months, to highlight the UK's waning influence in the Gulf.

Croucher, awarded the George Cross in Afghanistan, was arrested in the UAE in November 2022 on questionable charges.

Despite being on bail, his passport was confiscated, and no formal prosecution has been initiated.

Oliver Dowden, the UK Deputy Prime Minister, recently visited the UAE to repair diplomatic relations, but Croucher's case remains unresolved.

Hedges argues that immediate public action is necessary as quiet diplomacy has proven futile.