Foreign Office lost ‘opportunities to influence’ US after Harry Dunn death, review finds

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editorDecember 3, 2025 at 05:35 PM

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long article 4 min

An independent review found that the UK Foreign Office missed opportunities to influence the US government following the death of 19-year-old Harry Dunn in August 2019. Dunn was killed in a motorcycle crash outside RAF Croughton after being hit by Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US diplomat, who was driving on the wrong side of the road. Sacoolas, who admitted responsibility, was allowed to leave the UK shortly after due to diplomatic immunity. The review, commissioned by the Labour government, revealed that ministers and senior officials were not involved early enough, resulting in a delayed response and missed chances to advocate for Dunn's family. The Foreign Office also failed to communicate effectively with the family and were slow to recognize them as allies.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Dominic Raab ×250% Dame Anne Owers 60% Anne Sacoolas ×570% Harry Dunn ×680% United States ×480%

Keywords

harry dunn death 100% foreign office failures 90% immunity 80% anne sacoolas 70% us-uk relations 60% justice 50% diplomatic immunity 50% raf croughton 50% croughton agreement 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.60

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

United States

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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harry dunn death foreign office failures immunity anne sacoolas us-uk relations justice diplomatic immunity raf croughton croughton agreement

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