Starmer to visit Gulf states as he strives to deepen trade ties

Sir Keir Starmer will strive to strengthen trade ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in his first trip to the Persian Gulf as Prime Minister.

The PM will meet UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, after flying to the Gulf on Sunday night.

Sir Keir has said his visit will help to the UK “build a network of partners” focused on “driving high quality growth”.

Sir Keir is already facing calls from human rights groups to raise the escalating number of executions with Saudi leaders.

He said: “Driving long-term growth at home requires us to strengthen partnerships abroad.

“That is why I am travelling to the Gulf this week, to build a network of partners for the UK that is focused on driving high-quality growth, boosting opportunities, and delivering for the people at home.”

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are both major investors in the UK: trade with the Emirates is worth £23 billion, while trade with Saudi Arabia is worth £17 billion.

Saudi Arabia is also UK’s largest defence exports market, worth £3.8 billion a year to British industry.

The Prime Minister added: “There is huge untapped potential in this region, which is why, while here, I will be making the case to accelerate progress on the Gulf Co-operation Council free trade agreement, deepen our research and development collaboration and partner on projects of the future, whether that be in Artificial Intelligence or in defence and security programmes.

“By doing so, hardworking British people will reap the rewards for generation to come.”

Human rights legal group Reprieve has called on the Prime Minister to raise what it described as an “execution crisis” with Saudi leaders.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly executed 300 people in 2024, its highest-ever toll in one year.

Reprieve’s deputy executive director Dan Dolan said: “When Boris Johnson visited Mohammed bin Salman in 2022, three days after the mass execution of 81 people, Sir Keir Starmer was rightly scathing of Johnson’s unconditional embrace of one of the world’s most prolific executioners of protesters.

“Now he is the Prime Minister, he has the opportunity to address the escalating execution crisis in Saudi Arabia.”

Mr Dolan urged the Prime Minister to raise the cases of two child defendants with the Saudi crown prince, as it could “save their lives”.

Following his Gulf visit, Sir Keir is expected to travel to Cyprus on Monday night.

In the capital Nicosia he will meet with President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday before meeting British troops deployed over Christmas.

The bilateral visit is the first by a British prime minister to the Commonwealth country in more than 50 years.

Sir John Major visited the Mediterranean island for the 1993 Commonwealth heads of government meeting, but this was not part of a bilateral visit.

The last visit of that kind to Cyprus by a prime minister was made by Edward Heath in 1971.

Sir Keir and Mr Christodoulides are expected to discuss co-operation on security challenges including Russian illicit finance and serious organised crime.