North of England to benefit from further Saudi trade, Starmer says
Sir Keir Starmer said he was ‘determined to ensure international diplomacy drives local results’.
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Your support makes all the difference.The north of England will directly benefit from closer trade ties with Saudi Arabia, Sir Keir Starmer has said as he visits the country.
The Prime Minister insisted his “international agenda starts at home” as he visits the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia on Monday in a bid to build closer economic ties with the two Gulf states.
As he does, a Manchester-based company specialising in wonder material graphene has announced a deal with the Saudis to use its product in a major project.
I am determined to ensure international diplomacy drives local results
Sir Keir said: “Every region and nation in the United Kingdom should feel the impact of our Plan for Change, which is why I am in the Gulf forging closer ties and strengthening relationships that support our growth mission in every corner of the country.
“I am determined to ensure international diplomacy drives local results, whether that is discussing how we can support regeneration in the UK or supporting business deals that create jobs – my international agenda starts at home.”
Graphene Innovation Manchester is to announce the launch of the world’s first commercial production of graphene-enriched carbon fibre on Monday.
The advanced material is considered environmentally sustainable, and will be used in Saudi Arabia’s Neom project, which is aiming to build a huge urban area.
Part of the mega project, known as the Line, is intended to result in a linear city stretching more than 100 miles long.
It has however reportedly been scaled back due to costs, and is subject to concerns about human rights violations due to tribal land clearances.
Some £250 million of investment into a research and innovation hub in Greater Manchester and more than 1,000 skilled jobs could be created as a result of the deal.
Sir Keir also hopes to build on the close ties between Newcastle and Saudi Arabia, which owns the English city’s football club.
Britain and the Saudis will work to set up an international institute for clean hydrogen, backed by a consortium of universities, including Newcastle University.
Mayor of the North East Kim McGuinness will join the Prime Minister in Saudi Arabia on Monday for the talks which follow his visit to the Emirates.
The Prime Minister’s trip to the Gulf comes amid further turmoil in the Middle East, with Syria’s government overthrown by an insurgency over the weekend.
Its president, Bashar Assad, has fled the country for Moscow, according to his Russian allies.
Sir Keir has meanwhile faced calls to raise the human rights record of Saudi Arabia as he visits the Gulf.
Some 300 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia in 2024, the highest ever toll in a single year.
Legal campaign group Reprieve said the Prime Minister could help to save the lives of those awaiting the death penalty, including two child defendants.