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Written question asked by Chris Bryant (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 May 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 23 May 2024. It was answered by Alex Burghart (Conservative) on Friday, 24 May 2024 on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

Trade Promotion: Saudi Arabia

Question

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Ministers attended the Great Futures conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 14 and 15 May 2024.

Answer

5 UK Ministers attended the conference.

The GREAT FUTURES launch event in Riyadh on 14-15 May 2024 is the flagship moment that kickstarts a year-long programme bringing to life the sheer scale of opportunities for UK businesses in Saudi Arabia linked to Vision 2030. The purpose is to forge partnerships across a number of sectors by gathering together some of the UK's most creative and innovative companies with their Saudi counterparts.

The Deputy Prime Minister led a strong Ministerial delegation comprising Kemi Badenoch, Secretary of State for Business and Trade; Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary; Lord Johnson, Minister for Investment; Lord Markham, Minister of Health; and Sir Steve Smith the PM’s Special Representative for Higher Education. The delegation of more than 450 UK companies made this the largest trade delegation the UK has sent anywhere for a decade.

Some 50+ agreements and MOUs were signed during the two days. The Deputy Prime Minister and Saudi Minister of Commerce convened a Pillar 1 meeting of the UK-Saudi Strategic Partnership where they agreed the ambition of increasing bilateral trade from £17bn to £30 billion by 2030.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
27298
Session
2023-24
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Saudi Arabia Conferences Trade promotion
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk