LONDON: Britain said on Monday it was reviewing the rules which govern diplomatic immunity arrangements for US personnel at an air force base after a man was killed when his motorbike collided with a car driven by a US diplomat’s wife.
Harry Dunn, 19, died in August near RAF Croughton, a base in the central English county of Northamptonshire used by the US military. American Anne Sacoolas left Britain after the fatal crash.
“I have already commissioned a review of the immunity arrangements for US personnel and their families at Croughton,” foreign minister Dominic Raab told parliament.
“As this case has demonstrated, I do not believe the current arrangements are right and the review will look at how we can make sure that the arrangements at Croughton cannot be used in this way again.”
The government had been warned by the United States that Sacoolas was going to leave Britain, Raab also said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged President Donald Trump to reconsider a decision to let Sacoolas use diplomatic immunity to leave the country.
Trump met Dunn’s parents earlier this month in Washington, saying their meeting was “sad” but “beautiful.” In a subsequent interview the family said they felt pressure to allow the American woman to join the session.
UK reviews immunity rules after crash involving US diplomat's wife
UK reviews immunity rules after crash involving US diplomat's wife
Australia rejects report it is repatriating families of Daesh militants from Syrian camp
- The return of relatives of suspected Daesh militants is a political issue in Australia, which has seen a surge in popularity of the right-wing
Australia’s center-left government on Sunday rejected a local media report that said it was working to repatriate Australians in a Syrian camp holding families of suspected Daesh militants. The 34 women and children were released on Monday from the camp in northern Syria, but returned to the detention center due to technical reasons. The group is expected to travel to Damascus before eventually returning to Australia, despite objections from ruling and opposition lawmakers.
On Sunday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke rejected claims made in a report in the Sunday Telegraph, asserting that official preparations were under way for the cohort’s return.
“In that report, it makes a claim that we are conducting a repatriation. We are not,” Burke told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television.
“It claims we have been meeting with the states for the purposes of a repatriation. We have not,” Burke added. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who leads Australia’s Labour Party, said this week his government would not help the group return to Australia.
The return of relatives of suspected Daesh militants is a political issue in Australia, which has seen a surge in popularity of the right-wing, anti-immigration One Nation party led by Pauline Hanson.
Daesh, the Sunni Muslim militant group, is listed as a terrorist organization in Australia, with membership of the group punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Australia also has the power to strip dual nationals of citizenship if they are a Daesh member.
