SCOTS who found themselves in major crises abroad would not necessarily be left stranded by the UK Government if Scotland became independent, Foreign Office staff have suggested.
Staff from the Crisis Management Department (CMD) – part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) – told The National that, hypothetically, if Scotland did leave the UK in future, Scots “would be represented in some form” if they were caught up in a crisis situation abroad, such as a natural disaster or terrorist attack.
The FCDO is committed to helping British nationals, British nationals with another nationality and nationals of other Commonwealth countries where there is not a local embassy – though the final one is only in “certain circumstances”.
Ian Teale, deputy head of training and policy team at CMD, said he imagined Scots would be treated similarly to unrepresented Commonwealth nationals or EU nationals if Scotland opted for self-determination.
The FCDO is not obliged to support EU nationals abroad but it is understood this can happen in some situations at the discretion of ministers.
SNP foreign affairs spokesperson Alyn Smith said he welcomed the “common sense” approach from the FCDO but expected an independent Scotland to establish capability to support all citizens abroad quicky.
Teale said: “I suspect what would happen for Scots if Scotland goes independent, it would receive exactly the same type and level of treatment that they [EU nationals] get now, or unrepresented Commonwealth nationals. I suspect that’s what the case would be.”
The FCDO cannot provide crisis support to other countries’ nationals, even if they have been living legally in the UK or have close connections to the UK, but it does have some arrangements and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with other governments in some circumstances and it was suggested this could hypothetically be the case with a future independent Scotland.
Su-Lin Garbett-Shiels, head of CMD, added: “We do have arrangements and MOUs [memorandum of understanding] with different governments with respect to consular support in crisis. In a crisis we do commit to providing support to unrepresented commonwealth citizens so if that was the case, we would also provide that.”
David Sharp, previous head of the CMD operations team and now joint head of the Ukraine consular team, said: “I think it’s safe to say that whatever would happen, Scots would be represented in some form.”
Smith said if an independent Scotland was to rejoin the EU, Scots would have the right to support from any other EU state mission in any country.
Smith said: “I welcome what the Foreign Office has said – it is the most common-sense approach.
“However, I would expect an independent Scotland to quickly establish capability to ensure all citizens abroad had the support and representation they may need in any given circumstance.
“With EU membership, Scots will have the right to support from any other EU state mission in any country.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “Only British nationals are entitled to the full range of consular support.”
