UK ambassador accused of breaching protocol by accepting Bahraini award
Foreign Office rules prohibit heads of mission from accepting foreign honours, yet British envoy Alastair Long received the award from King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, sparking criticism over human rights concerns and diplomatic transparency.
British Ambassador to Bahrain, Alastair Long, has been accused of violating Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) protocol by accepting the Order of Bahrain from King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. The acceptance has drawn sharp criticism from Liberal Democrat peer Lord Scriven, who argued the move constitutes a direct breach of government policy and suggests that UK diplomats are “up for grabs.”
Under FCDO rules, heads of UK missions are prohibited from accepting foreign awards during, on, or after their tenure. Furthermore, foreign governments are required to seek permission from the UK before granting such honours to British nationals. A source told The Guardian that the Bahraini government did not seek this permission, although it had notified the British government of the award prior to its presentation to Long.
In a letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper this week, Lord Scriven described the incident as part of a recurring pattern where the Bahraini government deliberately disregards British diplomatic protocol. Scriven warned that the trend raises significant issues for the UK government, particularly in light of Bahrain’s worsening human rights record, including the mass revocation of citizenship for Shia Muslims and the torture death of Sayed Mohamed Almosawi.
This marks the fourth time a British ambassador to Bahrain has received the honour, following predecessors Iain Lindsay, Simon Martin, and Roderick Drummond. However, Freedom of Information requests reveal that while the Bahraini government notified the UK beforehand in Long’s case, it did not do so for previous ambassadors. Emails from 2023, when Drummond was ambassador, advised that the award should be declined but, if necessary, accepted “to avoid embarrassment” and kept as a “keepsake”.
Human rights activists have condemned the acceptance, with Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, a Bahraini activist and torture survivor, describing Long as “morally compromised”. Alwadaei urged the Foreign Secretary to take a stand against what he termed the ruler’s systematic disregard for British rules and diplomatic norms. The FCDO declined to comment on the record.