ONE of the most harrowing aspects of the shootings in Tunisia was hearing the plaintive cries for help from relatives of British holidaymakers waiting for news of their loved ones.

Over the weekend the airwaves were filled with the voices of angry and frightened relatives who felt let down by the Foreign Office response to the worst terrorist attack against British citizens since the July 7 bombings ten years ago.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), once revered for its international reach and ability to cope in a crisis, failed to offer acceptable levels of help in the wake of Friday's massacre.

Responding to criticism that the Foreign Office has not been doing enough, Home Secretary Teresa May said yesterday that consular staff had been working round the clock.

That may be true, but it does not explain why the response back in the UK has been so poor.

Relatives who rang the Government telephone hotline for help said they were just read a bland statement. Some were read the same statement several times. In desperation, families trawled the internet for news while others rang hard-pressed Tunisian hospitals seeking information.

Last year the all-party foreign affairs committee released a highly critical report about the performance of the FCO during times of crisis.

It said that cost-cutting and over-reliance on internet-based services had de-humanised the FCO support systems in which personal contact should be central.

Judging by the FCO's response to the Tunisia situation nothing seems to have changed.

Since 2010, the Foreign Office's budget has been cut by 30 per cent. There has been a dramatic reduction in the number of FCO staff employed abroad and a commensurate reduction in capability.

In the wake of the foreign affairs committee's report, the FCO promised to consider its failings and improve its services.

Sadly, there is still much to do.