RISHI Sunak has been warned that he should not be “rolling out the red carpet” to Mohammed bin Salman amid reports that the Saudi prince is planning to visit the UK.
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and prime minister is reportedly due to visit the UK five years after the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The Times reports that a visit is planned for this autumn.
The Gulf state’s day-to-day leader was accused of ordering the assassination of the Washington Post writer at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018.
The Saudi prince, known as MBS, has denied any involvement and blamed rogue agents.
Western nations have moved to improve relations with the oil-rich state in recent years, with the instability caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine bolstering efforts to develop closer ties.
No visit has been confirmed by Downing Street and it is not believed that a particular date has been finalised.
However, the Times is the latest newspaper, following the Financial Times in July, to report that an invitation has been issued.
Sunak met the crown prince on the margins of the G20 summit in Bali last November.
The LibDems condemned any potential visit, with its foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran saying: “It beggars belief that Rishi Sunak is rolling out the red carpet for Mohammed bin Salman.
“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 signal to MBS that he can continue acting with impunity and we and our allies will do nothing about it.”
We previously told how Sunak's predecessor Boris Johnson declared Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates "key international partners" as he attempted to woo the state after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The former prime minister made a controversial visit to the Gulf state in March 2022, where he met with bin Salman in Riyadh just days after the largest mass execution in the kingdom in modern history.
The regime killed 81 people in 24 hours.
Johnson didn't win any oil commitments during the visit and was accused of going from "dictator to dictator" to find new sources of oil and gas.
During his time as chancellor, Sunak claimed the UK is not “turning a blind eye to human rights abuses” after Johnson's failed trip.
It has also been revealed that former UK Labour prime minister Tony Blair's Institute has continued to receive money from the Saudi state since the murder of Khashoggi.
The organisation is involved in a multimillion-pound partnership helping with a modernisation drive in the country.
