The precarious position of embassy and consular employees in the United Kingdom

Abstract

States employ people in a wide range of positions in their embassies and consulates abroad with such persons often performing highly similar tasks to those employed in industry or the local civil service. Yet the UK, almost alone among developed countries, continues to deny such employees the right to sue their employer because of the doctrine of State immunity. In this article it is argued that the current position is inequitable, inconsistent with international practice and ultimately not in the interests of the foreign States themselves.