The British ambassador to Bahrain, Alastair Long, has been accused of breaching government rules after accepting the Order of Bahrain from King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. Rights activists and politicians say the award directly violates Foreign Office policy, with critics warning that diplomats and civil servants are effectively “up for grabs.”
Breach of Foreign Office Protocol
Under the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s rules, heads of UK missions must not accept foreign awards during or after their tenure. Foreign governments are also required to seek permission before granting awards to UK nationals. A source told the Guardian that the Bahraini government did not request such permission for Long’s award.
This is the fourth time a British ambassador to Bahrain has received this honour, following Iain Lindsay, Simon Martin, and Roderick Drummond. Lord Scriven, a Liberal Democrat peer, wrote to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, describing it as “a recurring pattern wherein the Bahraini government deliberately disregards” British diplomatic protocol. “This sends a clear message: our diplomats and civil servants are up for grabs,” he said.
Human Rights Concerns
Scriven’s letter also highlighted Bahrain’s worsening human rights record, including mass revocation of citizenship for Shia Muslims of Iranian heritage, targeted arrests of activists and Shia clerics, and the torture and death of Sayed Mohamed Almosawi. The 32-year-old was forcibly disappeared in March and is believed to have died in custody with signs of torture, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).
HRW reports that Bahrain continues to suppress free speech and arbitrarily detain human rights defenders and political leaders. Last year, the state granted amnesty to 630 prisoners. “Britain cannot signal any complicity or endorsement through the acceptance of foreign medals,” Scriven’s letter stated.
Internal Foreign Office Emails
Freedom of information requests obtained by human rights activists and shared with the Guardian reveal internal Foreign Office emails from 2023, when Roderick Drummond was ambassador. The emails advised that the same award should be declined, but if necessary, politely accepted “to avoid embarrassment” and kept “as a keepsake.” They also indicate that Bahrain had notified the British government of the award beforehand, though not with Drummond’s predecessors.
“Who are British ambassadors and diplomats actually working for?” Scriven asked. “It’s now becoming unclear.”
Broader Implications
Former UK Middle East minister Tariq Ahmad faced similar controversy in 2025 after taking a paid advisory role with a centre linked to Bahrain’s government. He was cleared by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, but Scriven described the role as “whitewashing.”
British campaigners have also accused Bahrain, along with other Gulf states, of transnational repression on UK soil, targeting political dissidents and exiled human rights defenders. Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, advocacy director at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy and a torture survivor, said the UK ambassador was “morally compromised” for accepting the award. “It was clear to us that Ambassador Long would be rewarded by Bahrain’s ruler after praising his ‘visionary leadership’ despite his brutal and dictatorial rule,” Alwadaei said. “No British diplomat should accept an honour from a ruler at a time when infants are being stripped of their citizenship and rendered stateless, and a 32-year-old man has been tortured to death.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office declined to comment on the record.
