Independent review published into the UK government's response to the death of Harry Dunn in 2019
The UK government has accepted all of the recommendations in full.
An independent review into the UK government’s response to the death of Harry Dunn has been published today.
Harry Dunn was tragically killed in a road traffic collision in August 2019, caused by a US national, Anne Sacoolas, near RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire.
In July 2025, the government announced an independent review, led by Dame Anne Owers DBE and commissioned by former Foreign Secretary David Lammy, to examine actions taken by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in support of the family of Harry Dunn in the period between 27 August and the end of December in 2019.
The final report of the independent review has now been published and includes 12 recommendations, focused on improving HM Government’s (HMG) response to deaths and serious incidents and the support provided to families and victims.
HMG supported the process in full, providing access to officials and documents to ensure the call for an independent review from the family of Harry Dunn was properly fulfilled.
It found that failures and omissions were made in dealing with the incident, including failing to recognise the family as allies in achieving justice. We have accepted all of the recommendations – 10 which relate to the FCDO, one for Ministry of Justice (MoJ), and one for Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
I have huge respect for the dignity and resolve Harry’s family has shown throughout the period since his tragic death.
On behalf of the UK government, I thank Dame Anne Owers for undertaking this important review, and the government accepts her recommendations in full.
We are committed to learning the lessons from this tragedy – especially on support for victims, ensuring that no family facing a crisis of this kind should have to fight for the support they rightly deserve.
Harry’s mother, Charlotte Charles said:
I want to thank Dame Anne Owers for her work on this comprehensive report. I also want to thank the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper for meeting with us and for listening. She was wonderfully supportive and empathetic and we are pleased that she has agreed to implement all the recommendations made. We also want to thank David Lammy for commissioning the report, Lisa Nandy and Emily Thornberry who in opposition were so kind to us when we lost Harry and were seeking support and justice.
This report and its findings make for incredibly difficult reading. We knew we were let down by the FCO when we lost Harry and we knew that we deserved better. That said, we have always tried to be positive with everything we campaigned for and we now want to look forward and not back. That is why we asked for this review.
No family should ever be treated the way we were and we are confident that with Dame Anne’s recommendations being fully implemented that future governments will step forward to do the right thing for victims should the same circumstances ever arise again. That will be Harry’s legacy and his loss will not have been in vain.
Dame Anne Owers, Chair of the Independent Review, said:
My review points to failings and omissions in the Foreign Office’s initial response to Harry Dunn’s death. Ministers and senior officials were not involved early enough, and this meant that opportunities were lost to influence, rather than respond to, events. Direct communication with the family was late and sporadic, and the Foreign Office was slow to realise that they were allies in achieving justice and securing positive change.
However, I also recognise the more positive approach that developed later, in building a relationship with the family and their spokesperson and achieving significant change: for example revising and extending the agreement that had prevented prosecution in the UK in this case, and improving road safety outside US bases. Those changes reflect the persistence and determination of the family and the commitment and work of officials at the FCDO.
I have recommended further changes, including ensuring that such events would in future be gripped at the right level at an early stage, with early and regular contact with families and their spokesperson, using best practice as set out in the Victims’ Code. The FCDO should also be proactive in communicating with victims and outside agencies where there are complex issues of diplomatic immunity.
Since Harry Dunn’s death in 2019, the UK government has implemented several steps to ensure this situation will never happen again. This includes closing the anomaly, which meant the US national had immunity from criminal prosecution in the UK, and creating a Complex Cases team within the FCDO Protocol Directorate to effectively handle complex and sensitive issues.
Furthermore, the police and local authorities have worked with the US to ensure road safety around the base and the UK government has provided £5.46 million to meet the costs of the improvements recommended in the road safety audit of RAF Croughton and RAF Barford St John.
Background
The final report of the independent review has been published in full and the Foreign Secretary has made a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament.
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