Starmer hails partnership with Qatar as he welcomes Emir to Downing Street

Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed the Emir of Qatar to Downing Street, amid pressure to raise the Gulf state’s human rights record with its leader.

The meeting comes at the end of a two-day state visit to Britain by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and coincides with the announcement of a £1 billion clean energy partnership between Qatar and the UK.

Welcoming the Emir to Number 10 on Wednesday, the Prime Minister praised the “strong partnership” between the two countries, saying there was “so much more that we can do together…alongside the investment that we’re able to announce today”.

He also thanked the Emir for his “vital role” in the Middle East, where Qatar has acted as a mediator since the October 2023 attacks on Israel.

The Emir thanked the King for his hospitality and said he would discuss with the Prime Minister “how to go forward and how to put an end to this crisis” in the Middle East.

As well as discussing trade and investment, Sir Keir used the meeting to raise the issue of Emily Damari, the only British hostage in Gaza, and was expected to mention broader human rights concerns with the Gulf state.

While leader of the opposition, Sir Keir said he would not attend the football World Cup in Qatar because of the country’s human rights record.

But he did visit Qatar in December 2023, meeting the Emir in Doha as he returned from the Cop28 climate summit in Abu Dhabi.

Asked whether he would be raising human rights concerns with the Emir on Wednesday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The PM is clear that where we have concerns with partners like Qatar, we will always raise them.”

The £1 billion commitment announced on Wednesday includes investment in technology programmes operated by Rolls-Royce, as well as start-ups in the UK and Qatar focused on energy efficiency, carbon management and green power.

Originally announced in 2021, the partnership with Rolls-Royce is expected to see the creation of thousands of jobs at “climate technology hubs” across the UK and Qatar.

The Emir attended a banquet with the King and senior members of the royal family on Tuesday, and visited the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which he attended as an officer cadet in the 1990s.