Boris Johnson news – live: PM using ‘murderous dictators to keep lights on’ with Gulf oil trip, Rayner says
Boris Johnson is using “murderous dictators to keep lights on” because the Conservatives had not prepared an energy strategy during their years in power, the shadow deputy prime minister has claimed during angry exchanges in the Commons.
Angela Rayner, facing Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab, said the PM was now “on a begging mission” as he was on a visit to the Gulf states to ask them to increase production.
Boris Johnson reached United Arab Emirates early today and is expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed as he lobbies for increased production of fuel supplies for reduced reliance on Russia.
The prime minister also travels to Saudi Arabia, even as the UK lawmakers urged him to scrap plans for a post-Brexit trade accord with the country after it executed 81 people over the weekend.
Sir Keir Starmer said “going cap in hand from dictator to dictator is not an energy strategy”.
In his first stop in Abu Dhabi, Mr Johnson insisted he has raised the two countries’ poor human rights records “many, many times”, adding: “I’ll raise them all again today.”
