Rishi Sunak accused of ‘rolling out pink carpet’ as Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman to go to UK

Rishi Sunak has been accused of “rolling out the red carpet” for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman simply 5 years after the homicide of a US-based journalist prompted outrage around the globe.

Sources have informed Sky News that the crown prince has been invited to go to the UK and that the assembly will happen within the autumn.

Prince Mohammed, also referred to as MBS, was accused of ordering the assassination of the Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi on the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 – a charge he has denied and blamed on rogue brokers.

The scheduled go to can be his first to Britain because the homicide, which was broadly condemned and noticed him shunned on the world stage.

A Downing Street spokesperson declined to touch upon studies of the assembly with the Saudi chief when approached by Sky News, whereas a supply stated there was at present “no date in the diary”.

However, a Downing Street spokesperson later stated the pair had spoken on the cellphone earlier on Thursday.

They stated Mr Sunak “welcomed the opportunity to speak to the crown prince and looked forward to personally deepening the long-standing ties between the UK and Saudi Arabia”.

According to the Number 10 readout, the 2 leaders mentioned commerce and funding and defence and safety, together with the warfare in Ukraine and the battle in Yemen.

“The leaders agreed on the importance of allies working together to end the bloodshed in Ukraine and support a just and lasting peace,” they stated.

“The prime minister and crown prince said they would continue working closely together to progress UK-Saudi cooperation and looked forward to meeting in person at the earliest opportunity,” Number 10 added.

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Lib Dems and Labour share ‘deep issues’

Liberal Democrat international affairs spokesperson, Layla Moran, stated it “beggars belief that Rishi Sunak is rolling out the red carpet for Mohammed Bin Salman”.

She added: “This man – who authorised the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi and presides over a dismal human rights record – should not be receiving a warm welcome from the UK government.

“It sends a sign to MBS that he can proceed appearing with impunity and we and our allies will do nothing about it.”

Labour’s Angela Rayner said Mr Sunak should use the visit to “have a dialog about human rights”.

She said Labour had “actually deep issues” about human rights but that you “additionally should have dialogue”.

“It’s essential that while he is over right here, that there’s dialogue and that we do problem,” she told reporters.

“Part of our function internationally is to problem different nations and international locations and say, ‘this isn’t what we settle for and this isn’t the way you do issues’.

“And to try and influence in that way – if you don’t, then you don’t have any influence whatsoever.”

Ukraine warfare modified stance after alleged killing

Saudi officers allegedly killed the Washington Post columnist at the country’s consulate in Istanbul by reportedly dismembering him – though his stays have by no means been discovered.

The US intelligence group concluded Saudi Arabia’s crown prince had authorized the killing of the well-known and revered journalist, whereas a UN professional who investigated the homicide additionally stated there was “credible evidence” that MBS was responsible for the murder.

Any go to to the UK can be interpreted as the newest signal of Western international locations softening their stance in direction of the controversial chief and follows an analogous transfer by the US to combine the crown prince again into the diplomatic fold.

UK efforts to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia ramped up following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson visited Riyadh in March 2022 within the hope it will assist persuade the dominion to spice up its personal manufacturing of oil and gasoline and finish the Western “addiction” to Russian fossil fuels.

Last 12 months, US President Joe Biden was accused of “capitulation” after his administration stated the crown prince should not face legal action over Khashoggi’s murder.

The State Department declared that Prince Mohammed’s excessive workplace ought to shield him from prosecution for his alleged function within the slaying – regardless of Mr Biden beforehand vowing to make a “pariah” overseas’s rulers.

The official name for MBS to be granted immunity got here as he confronted a lawsuit filed by the fiancée of Khashoggi and the rights group he based, Democracy for the Arab World Now, which was dismissed in December by a US decide.

Sunak set for second assembly regardless of issues

The UK go to is not going to be the primary time Mr Sunak has met Prince Mohammed.

Last November, Mr Sunak met the crown prince on the margins of the G20 summit in Bali, the place the 2 leaders mentioned social reforms, girls’s rights and civil liberties.

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However, Number 10 stated on the time that Mr Sunak didn’t increase the homicide of Mr Khashoggi.

Polly Truscott, Amnesty International UK’s international coverage adviser, stated the crown prince “must be properly held to account for abuses by Saudi officials, including Khashoggi’s murder”.

She stated: “There must be no question of the UK rolling out the red carpet for Mohammed Bin Salman or of the Saudi ruler being able to use this visit to rehabilitate himself on the world stage.

“The go to seems set to coincide with the five-year anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi’s sickening assassination and dismemberment by the hands of Saudi brokers in Turkey, against the law which has primarily been lined up by the unrepentant Saudi authorities.”