Economy is the focus

PRIME Minister Sir Keir Starmer is putting efforts to kick-start economic growth above human rights concerns, as he meets Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman .

Downing Street said the economy was Sir Keir’s “number one priority”, but insisted he would still be able to raise concerns about the Saudi government’s human rights record during his visit to the country yesterday.

The Prime Minister is making a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Cyprus. Campaign group Reprieve called on Sir Keir to raise the issue of children facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia, while the widow of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has urged the Prime Minister to question the Crown Prince about the case.

Sir Keir accused one of his Tory predecessors Boris Johnson, of “going cap in hand from dictator to dictator”, when the former prime minister met the Saudi Crown Prince in 2022.