Failures at the FCO

Two disasters, two continents. For Britons who travel overseas, there is a theme that links the tsunami and hurricane Katrina. It is the incompetent and lack-lustre performance of Britain's consular staff. Confronted with British victims in Thailand and in New Orleans, the diplomats to whom they might have turned for help variously showed a shameful lack of courage, commitment, flexibility and resourcefulness.

As we report today, survivors were left to fend for themselves even when they or their loved ones were still in danger. It is hard to fathom what excuse the Foreign and Commonwealth Office can offer for what appears to be a dereliction of duty. Certainly, they were confronted with chaos, loss of life and risk on an enormous scale. But the accounts by survivors that The Observer has collected over the past fortnight speak tellingly of their treatment by officials.

The United States rightly faces criticism for its tardy and inadequate response to events in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. But the same logic applies to the UK. A country whose diplomats cannot help the citizens for whom they are responsible is equally shamed.

The Foreign Affairs Select Committee must urgently investigate these failings in October when Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary, and Michael Jay, Permanent Secretary at the FCO, appear before them. Questions about the conduct of their consular officials should be high on the agenda. The evidence so far is that their response to the suffering of people they are paid to protect fell far short of what we are entitled to expect.