Keir Starmer is due to meet Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, this week as part of a controversial visit to the region, where he plans to overhaul Britain's infrastructure. It is aimed at spurring investment towards his pledge to reform.
The prime minister's latest overseas trip will take him to the Gulf this weekend. He will first visit the United Arab Emirates to meet with the country's president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, before heading to Saudi Arabia. Mr Starmer will use his visit to push for a free trade agreement with a group of six Gulf states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The case against Saudi Arabia is likely to be controversial given widespread concerns about the country's human rights record and activities during its war with Yemen. US intelligence agencies believe that Prince Mohammed ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. In 2022, Starmer accused Boris Johnson of “acting hand in hand from dictator to dictator” ahead of a visit to Saudi Arabia touted as prime minister. Attempts to reduce Russia's dependence on energy.
But officials said the UAE and Saudi Arabia were already large investors in the UK. Trade with Saudi Arabia is worth £17 billion and supports almost 90,000 jobs across the UK. Mr Starmer will also use the visit to push for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, the release of hostages and accelerated aid.
The government is seeking closer collaboration with governments to seek the investment needed to deliver the green energy promised by Mr Starmer. Downing Street described them as one of the UK's “most important modern partners” to increase investment and deepen defense and security ties.
“To drive long-term growth at home, we need to strengthen our partnerships overseas,” Starmer said. “That’s why I’m traveling to the Gulf this week – to build a network of UK partners focused on driving quality growth, increasing opportunity and delivering for our own people.”
The government is promoting investment in the Gulf countries in a coordinated manner. Mr Starmer's visit comes days after the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, made a state visit to the UK. Agreements on green energy partnership and defense and security cooperation were agreed.
