Can Labour usher in a new era of UK-Arab engagement?

Lina Khatib, Director of the SOAS Middle East Institute and associate fellow at Chatham House’s MENA Programme, told Arab News that Labour has "rightly framed the Gulf as an important partner for security and economic growth" but that the UK government must pursue a "comprehensive strategy" towards the Gulf which too takes into account the region's "geopolitical interests". One "avenue for facilitating such engagement", she continued, was the LMEC, founded with the "fundamental goal of cultivating understanding and fostering enduring relationships between UK parliamentarians and the Middle East & North Africa".

Founder and Director Miran Hassan highlighted the importance of the UK-Gulf relationship, emphasising it deserved greater “respect” and attention, citing the stalled GCC-UK Free Trade Agreement as a case in point.