UK Lands First G7 Gulf Trade Deal Worth £3.7B — Without a Human Rights Clause

GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in London on 20 May 2026, following talks on the newly concluded Gulf-British free trade agreement. (Credit: GCC General Secretariat Website)

Britain has signed a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council that the government says will add £3.7 billion ($4.9 billion) a year to the UK economy, making it the first G7 nation to secure such a deal with the six-member bloc. The agreement covers Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

It does not include a human rights clause.