Keir Starmer has defended his trip to Saudi Arabia, saying it was needed to fulfil his “number one mission” of growing the UK economy.
Speaking during a visit to Riyadh, where he met the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, the prime minister said his “sole intention” there was to help drive up living standards in the UK.
Starmer told broadcasters that he had “made it clear that economic growth in the UK is my number one mission” and “for that to happen we have to win contracts and investment around the world, and UAE and Saudi Arabia are key partners of ours”.
“So I’ve been making the case that now’s the time for further investment into our country,” he said.
According to an official readout from their meeting, the prime minister invited the Saudi crown prince to the UK. A Downing Street spokesperson said Starmer “hoped the leaders would be able to watch a game of football in between meetings if he took up the offer”.
The pair also discussed “the steps taken by the crown prince’s government to improve human rights under Saudi’s Vision 2030”.
Earlier on Monday, Downing Street said Starmer would still be able to raise concerns about the Saudi government’s human rights record.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson told reporters that “no aspect of the relationships that we’re building internationally and abroad stops us from raising issues around human rights and protecting our values globally”. He reiterated that promoting economic growth was “the prime minister’s number one priority”.
Asked whether this meant human rights were a lower priority, the spokesperson said: “You saw the prime minister’s plan for change last week. You can see the government’s clear priorities for the British people as part of that.”
When Boris Johnson met the Saudi crown prince in 2022, Starmer accused him of “going cap in hand from dictator to dictator”. Asked about these comments, the spokesperson said: “This is about driving growth and building a network of partners across the world who will invest in the UK.”
Starmer argued that the government’s recent deals with Saudi Arabia were creating 4,000 jobs in the UK. “I’m here driving growth with the sole intention of making sure that when I say that living standards will go up in the UK, [and that] people will feel better off, that we’ve got the plan to follow through and deliver on that,” he told broadcasters in Riyadh.
The UK and Saudi Arabia have agreed a new defence partnership, including on combat air capabilities, which is set to last for generations. The Royal Saudi air force has operated UK-manufactured Typhoon combat aircraft since 2008.
The prime minister held a round table with Saudi businesses and senior Saudi ministers including the commerce minister, Majid al-Kassabi. Speaking at the start of the meeting in Diriyah, near Riyadh, Starmer praised the UK-Saudi relationship, which he said was built on “the values of trust and friendship”.
Hailing an increase in trade between the two countries, he said he wanted to “enhance and build upon what I believe is a very strong existing partnership between our two countries”.
Ahead of the trip, the widow of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi urged Starmer to question the crown prince about the case. Speaking to the Guardian, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi said: “I hope my husband’s case has not been forgotten, and I will always maintain to make sure it is not forgotten. There is unfinished business here.”
Campaign group Reprieve called on Starmer to raise the issue of children facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. Its deputy executive director, Dan Dolan, said that if the prime minister “publicly raises the cases of child defendants Abdullah al-Howaiti and Abdullah al-Derazi when he meets the crown prince, he could save their lives.”
Starmer travelled to Saudi Arabia after visiting the United Arab Emirates, where he met president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
In a statement issued during the trip, the prime minister said the UK wanted to play a more present and consistent role in the region because “what happens in the Middle East matters at home”.
