We’re going to close down this live blog now. Thanks for reading. Here’s a summary of this evening’s events:
- The foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, told MPs Saudi Arabia’s explanation of how the journalist Jamal Khashoggi came to die in its embassy building in Turkey was “not credible”.
- He said the UK would take “appropriate action” once it had the results of the Turkish investigation.
- The shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, demanded he go further and suspend UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia, as well as imposing financial penalties on those responsible for Khashoggi’s death.
- The government once again set aside its attempt to push through a Bill that many on the Tory right are believed to be intending to use as a platform on which to stage a protest against Theresa May’s leadership.
And you can read the full story on the prime minister’s Commons Brexit statement here:
Hunt tells MPs the UK authorities are investigating the actions of Khashoggi’s alleged killers when they were in the country in March.
The foreign secretary adds that it is “highy unlikely” any UK officials will attend the Saudi-hosted Future Investment Initiative summit. The international trade secretary, Liam Fox, has already confirmed he will not be there.
Some more details from Jeremy Hunt’s statement to the Commons: He said the killing was an act of “appalling brutality”, saying the Saudi explanation was “not credible”.
We have an important strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia involving defence and security co-operation which has saved lives on the streets of Britain. We also have a trading partnership that supports thousands of jobs.
So, whilst we will be thoughtful and considered in our response, I have also been clear that if the appalling stories we are reading turn out to be true, they are fundamentally incompatible with our values and we will act accordingly.
Indeed such reports are also incompatible with Saudi Arabia’s own stated goal of progress and renewal.
That is why the extent to which Saudi Arabia is able to convince us that it remains committed to that progress will ultimately determine the response of the UK and its allies – and we will continue to convey our strength of feeling on this issue to every level of the Saudi leadership.
He said the Turkish-led investigation needed to establish:
- Who authorised the dispatch of 15 officials from Saudi Arabia to Istanbul
- When the Riyadh government first learned of Khashoggi’s death
- Why there was a delay in allowing investigators into the consulate
- Why Khashoggi’s death was not disclosed until October 19, some 17 days after it happened.
The foreign secretary added:
Hunt also said it was particularly worrying that attacks on journalists were happening with increasing frequency and decried a fashion for authoritarianism across the globe.
Hunt turns to the war in Yemen, saying missiles are being fired towards Riyadh and Saudi Arabia is acting within the provisions of the UN’s resolution on the war.
He adds that the UK’s arms sales are heavily regulated and are being constantly reviewed. He also points out that Labour was keen for the government to await the results of an investigation into the Salisbury Novichok attack before taking action against Moscow.
Thornberry says the Saudi crown prince takes his allies for fools. “The government must wake up to the reality of who the crown prince really is.” She attacks Theresa May for ‘rolling out the red carpet’ and hailing Mohammed bin Salman as a reformer.
She asks Hunt to apply financial penalties on those responsible, to suspend UK sales of arms to be used in Yemen and to make proper representation to the UN security council over Saudi involvement in that war.
The foreign secretary says the explanation from Riyadh does not amount to a credible account.
He does the UK’s…
