UK diplomats no longer get hardship bonus for being posted to Buenos Aires
British diplomats in six locations around the world, including Buenos Aires and Santiago in South America, will no longer get hardship payments for working in dangerous cities.
Hardship bonuses and respite breaks are currently granted to staff in cities considered risky—like Beirut, Pretoria or New Delhi. The UK government has removed Santiago, Panama City, Pyongyang, Bamako and Sarajevo from the list, alongside the two South American capitals. A total of 144 locations remain eligible, covering both trouble spots and popular holiday destinations such as Bali and Rio de Janeiro, prompting criticism from the Conservatives.
Kevin Hollinrake, Tory chairman, said civil servants receiving extra pay for such areas is unfair on taxpayers and pledged to cut civil‑service size if Conservatives return to power. He added: “These arrangements are not new and have applied consistently under successive governments for decades.”
The Foreign Office defended the scheme, noting that diplomats serve in some of the toughest physical and political environments globally and that compensation reflects the circumstances of each posting.
For more context, read the Foreign Office’s last release of 2009 debt allowances, where the highest payment was for Karachi, Pakistan at £26,647, and Buenos Aires at £1,517.
