UK leader Starmer heads to Gulf to talk trade, Mideast [Video]

Britain’s leader Keir Starmer makes his first trip to the Gulf as prime minister from Sunday, seeking to attract investment from the region’s oil-rich states, Downing Street announced.

Starmer will first visit the United Arab Emirates and then travel to Saudi Arabia, before stopping off in Cyprus on his way back to London on Tuesday in a bid “to build closer ties and drive long term UK growth”.

The trip to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh comes as his Labour government pursues a free-trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council’s six nations: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.

“There is huge untapped potential in this region, which is why, while here, I will be making the case to accelerate progress on the Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement,” Starmer said in a statement released Saturday.

The meetings will also aim to “deepen our research and development collaboration” and partner …