Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden will lead a 450-strong delegation of British businesses as he visits the Gulf state.
UK Cabinet ministers are visiting Saudi Arabia in a bid to bolster trade links with the kingdom amid reports that Riyadh authorised the use of lethal force to clear land for a new desert city.
Downing Street defended the visit on Monday after the BBC reported claims last week that Saudi forces had been permitted to use deadly force to clear land for a £400 billion desert city being built by dozens of western companies.Villagers were reportedly evicted to make way for The Line, a 105-mile-long metropolis in the kingdom’s eco-region of Neom, with one person subsequently shot and killed for protesting, according to the broadcaster.
“Particularly obviously given current events in the Middle East, it is a very important relationship ,” the official said. After virtual remarks from Mr Sunak and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, Mr Dowden will say: “Our collaboration has enabled an exponential increase in our mutual prosperity and demonstrated that our modern, forward-looking partnership can meet the challenges of the 21st century.”
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