Boris Johnson’s government has been accused of relying on “another murderous dictator to keep the lights on”, as he arrived in Saudi Arabia to wean the West off Russian energy supplies.
In scathing remarks — days after the oil-rich kingdom announced the execution of 81 men in a single day — Angela Rayner accused the prime minister of going on a “begging mission”.
Her comments came after Mr Johnson told reporters it was “good to be back” in Saudi Arabia after touching down at Riyadh airport, vowing to raise human rights issues earlier on Wednesday.
As Vladimir Putin continues to wage war in Ukraine, the government is appealing to Saudi Arabia to soften the blow in its mission to reduce Western countries’ reliance on supplies of Russian oil and gas.
But speaking on Wednesday, Ms Rayner blasted: “Last week the leader of the opposition [Keir Starmer] said that Britain should never again be at the mercy of a foreign dictatorship for our energy and fuel security.
“This week, the prime minister has gone cap in hand from one dictator to another on a begging mission to the Saudi prince to bail him out.”
She added: “The government have had 12 years to end their reliance on foreign oil and invest in homegrown energy to secure our supplies.
“Their failure has left us all vulnerable, reliant on another murderous dictator to keep the lights on”.
Earlier, Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, attempted to defend the prime minister’s visit to the kingdom, saying the UK needed to be prepared to work with countries “we don’t necessarily agree with”.
While insisting on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she was “not condoning every action” by the Saudi government, the foreign secretary insisted Britain needed to find alternative sources of oil and gas to ensure the country is no longer dependent on Moscow.
She later added: “We do not need to work with countries we don’t agree with — this a serious threat to the global order.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner at PMQs
“It’s an incredibly serious threat to European security and we cannot afford to simply to rule out countries because we don’t like a particular policy”
During his visit on Wednesday, Mr Johnson is also expected to meet with Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, who has been largely been shunned by the West after US intelligence alleged he ordered the murder of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, something the Saudi ruler denies.
The Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) also said the trip would only embolden “MBS” to feel he can continue supplying the weapons – many British-made – which have fuelled the eight-year war in Yemen.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, over 20 million people are in need of humanitarian aid and four million people have been internally displaced in Yemen after more than six years of conflict.
“When we ask ourselves how did Russia feel so emboldened as to invade Ukraine indiscriminately targeting civilians throughout the first three weeks of this devastating war, the answer lies in decades of silence, excuses and short-sighted self-interest illustrated perfectly by the unconscionable actions of the prime minister,” CAAT added.
