Boris Johnson going ‘from dictator to dictator’ for oil, says Starmer

Labour leader warns about replacing dependence on Russia with reliance on Saudis, as PM prepares for Gulf visit

Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of going cap in hand from dictator to dictator," as the prime minister prepares to fly to Saudi Arabia to seek alternatives to Russian oil supplies.

Johnson has a personal relationship with the Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, and government sources suggest he could help persuade the Saudis to increase oil production. The prime minister defended the trip on Tuesday, saying he had to build a coalition of countries to help the west reduce its dependence on Vladimir Putin, likening the Russian leader to a drug dealer who had got the west hooked on his hydrocarbons.