Starmer to meet Saudi crown prince in push for infrastructure cash

Wooing of Mohammed bin Salman controversial because of human rights concerns

Keir Starmer will meet Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as part of a controversial trip to the region this week designed to drum up investment for his pledge to overhaul British infrastructure.

In his latest overseas trip, the prime minister will head to the Gulf this weekend. He will first travel to the United Arab Emirates for a meeting with its president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, before travelling on to Saudi Arabia. Starmer will use the trip to push for a free trade deal with a group of six Gulf nations - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.