Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the Saudi throne, certainly leads a charmed life. He spent several days in Paris last month meeting the French president Emmanuel Macron. This has now been followed up with a reported invitation from Rishi Sunak to visit Britain this autumn. It would be the first such high-level diplomatic trip since the Saudi crown prince was accused of being behind the killing of the dissident Jamal Khashoggi. He has always denied involvement.
The timing of his visit could hardly be worse: it would roughly coincide with the fifth anniversary of Khashoggi’s murder, serving to confirm that the brutal killing is all but forgotten and that the Saudis are back in the diplomatic fold. It is a mistake for the government to be rolling out the red carpet for the unrepentant Saudi leader in this way.
Cynics will no doubt try to justify this as no more than business as usual.
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